Chelsea fall flat, exactly like their boss

Imagine how previous Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would have responded had he seen Everton equalise in the final minute with their first effort on target.

He would have condemned the opposition for playing the first 45 minutes with five in midfield. Criticised them for defending too deep. Accused them, even, of "parking the bus".

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It might not have been fair but the 'Special One' has never been big on rational thought when he plays the victim. Just ask a certain 12-year-old schoolboy in Portugal.

Grant reacts rather more passively, however.

"It was disappointing to drop two points," he said. "Especially after the number of chances we created. Except for the result, though, I'm happy."

He thought the football was every bit as sexy as he has promised since taking charge, which prompted the obvious question.

Was he watching the game or does he simply shut his eyes for 90 minutes and hope for the best?

His programme notes pointed to the latter, given that he described that recent Carling Cup encounter with Leicester as a game that "must have been amazing to watch".

Chelsea should have won this relatively one- sided contest and their failure to do so had as much to do with a lack of urgency as a brilliant defensive display from the visitors.

An Everton display that was memorable for one save in particular from Tim Howard and a performance from Joleon Lescott that would have encouraged a watching Steve McClaren.

Centre-halves are proving hard to find for England's coach and the way Lescott coped with Didier Drogba yesterday was timely.

It was a shortage of defenders that ultimately cost Chelsea on this occasion.

As Mourinho discovered last season, trying to protect your goal in the absence of goalkeeper Petr Cech and captain John Terry can be difficult.

For Grant yesterday, the situation was actually even more distressing. Left back Ashley Cole was also missing - although only because he has just returned from injury - and when Ricardo Carvalho then collided with Aiyegbeni Yakubu and suffered what looks like a nasty back injury, Chelsea started to look vulnerable.

So vulnerable, in fact, that David Moyes took off his holding midfielder, Phil Neville, and switched to 4-4-2. 'It was a brave decision,' said the Everton boss.

It looked a little too brave when Drogba scored in the 70th minute, accelerating away from Lee Carsley to meet a Salomon Kalou corner with a terrific header at the near post.

But Moyes had sent on James McFadden as part of his tactical reshuffle and it paid off.

It was Scotland forward McFadden, after all, who drove the ball into the Chelsea penalty area and Tim Cahill who then held off Juliano Belletti before flicking the ball into the air and beating Carlo Cudicini with a spectacular bicycle kick.

"Fantastic goal," said Moyes, which it was.

Moyes and Cahill were less impressed with Michael Essien's reckless challenge on Leon Osman in the 67th minute.

"It wasn't the best," said Moyes, while Cahill noted that 'Ossie' was at least "still walking".

Cahill added: "He's known for a few dodgy tackles. I heard the crunch, so if he has gone in a bit high he will know it and he will apologise later."

It was actually one of Essien's less serious offences and deserved no more than the booking he received but it gave some indication of Chelsea's frustration against a determined opposition.

After Everton squandered the first decent chance of the game - when Steven Pienaar somehow failed to connect with a header from Osman that bounced invitingly across Chelsea's six-yard box - what chances there were fell to Chelsea.

Shaun Wright-Phillips had a shot blocked close to the line and when Belletti then crossed to the feet of Frank Lampard it required a magnificent one-handed save from Howard to deny the England midfielder.

Drogba was then guilty of committing an error not that dissimilar to Pienaar's. Wayne Bridge made a terrific run down the left, Wright-Phillips then drove the ball into the box and Drogba, like Everton's South African, failed to connect.

Everton then survived a vicious strike from Alex that was blocked by Tony Hibbert, but in the end could not stop the brilliant Drogba.

If Grant thought a fifth consecutive Premier League win was about to follow, Cahill had other ideas.

"It is difficult when you are missing four of your best defenders," said Grant, as a first League goal against Chelsea since September 23 then proved.

Mourinho would have been livid. If only Grant had been too.