Kickoff: Chelsea facing Wigan in a fourth round FA Cup battle. Chelsea in their hideous tennis ball yellow away kits, Wigan in blue and white. What is this stripe of mud down the middle of the JJB pitch? The rest of the field isn't exactly in pristine condition, either.

1 min.: Nicolas Anelka manages to bundle the ball through the defense over to an open Joe Cole, who fires a right-footed shot just wide of the goal. A great chance to go out in front at the outset. One of those shots that would've been brilliant had it found the back of the net, and ambitious but not erroneous otherwise.

15 min.: Anelka again plays the ball on for Cole, who appears to channel Arjen Robben and tries to dribble past five defenders while Anelka sits on the far side waiting for the return. No one's missing *that* Robben, Joe.

20 min.: Shaun Wright-Phillips miraculously outjumps his Wigan marker and surges up the left side, then in miles of space decides to cross before he has full control of the ball and sends it sailing over the goal. Replays show he had Anelka wide open in the box and was trying to get it to him before a defender closed in. Anelka has been active up at the front, but isn't getting a ton of service. He seems amiable about it though ... i've got visions of a Randy Moss-esque meltdown if he doesn't see more of the ball.

25 min.: The Chelsea defense collapses on Emile Heskey, who slides the ball to a wide open Marcus Bent in the center of the penalty box. It appears Carvalho and Alex were trying to play him offside, but failed marginally. Thankfully Wayne Bridge raced back to nip the ball out for a corner while Bent was contemplating his best shooting option.

30 min.: This team doesn't fill me with the same confidence that our first championship squad in 2005 did. Those guys seemed to have an answer for everything, and never broke ranks. This team looks like it could fall apart at any moment. With the injuries they've suffered it's understandable, but it doesn't make it any more comforting. Arsenal had teammates Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner coming to blows in a match earlier this week ... it's pure comedy watching a ref mediate between two players wearing the same jersey ... i can fully picture that scene unfolding between two men in blue. Or today, yellow.

32 min.: After a questionable plea for a penalty, Anelka is now getting booed every time he touches the ball. Errant thought: Do you think the players are less likely to slide tackle in that central yard of dirt? And if so, is it possible for attackers to coordinate their offensives in that area?

35 min.: Joe Cole slides the ball through Kevin Kilbane's legs and bursts around him. A beautiful move (enough for a replay) that came to nothing. Cole looks like his old self after an injury-plagued 06-07 season, but so far this match he seems to be missing his old attack partners in Lampard and Drogba. Someone introduce him to Nicolas.

Half: Chelsea have had slightly the better chances, but the Wigan midfield began to control the game after minute 30. Carvalho and Alex look up for whatever Bent and Heskey can muster, so the question for the second 45 becomes whether Anelka and Cole can combine to threaten the home side's goal.

Half: That central stripe bends around the center of the pitch. What in god's name were the Wigan residents doing on this field this week? Dog show? Horse races? Marching band?

45 min.: After taking the second half kickoff, Cole again finds himself on the edge of the box and dances in front of a defender to create some space. His cross to Sidwell is decent, but the keeper punches away over the former Reading man's head. I still wonder why we bought Steve, or why he came to a club where he would probably be sitting on the bench for long stretches, but our spate of injuries has given him a chance to prove his worth. He came on a free transfer, so that shouldn't be difficult.

52 min.: Had to pause the game for 10 minutes as Ana needed Super Mario Galaxy advice.

53 min.: Nicolas Anelka gets his first for his new club, and what a beauty! A lofted pass from Juliano Belleti from midfield, and Anelka (minding to keep himself onside) tips the ball over the onrushing Kirkland and into the empty net. A fantastic piece of skill maneuvering that cross onto goal on the volley. I'm very glad that Anelka got on the score sheet after a few close efforts in his first Chelsea matches ... again, visions of a selfish Randy Moss.

55 min.: Wright-Phillips maneuvers into space, and with passing options on his left and right he dribbles to the edge of the area and slices a shot wide. Maybe Robben has now possessed the diminutive winger.

56 min.: A nice dink from Marcus Bent sends Emile Heskey clear on goal, and he fires a shot at point blank range. The heretofore spectator Petr Cech parries, and the Blues defense eventually clears. Certainly more action in the first 15 minutes of the second half than the last 15 of the first.

59 min.: Now Chelsea lurking on the Wigan box. End to end stuff now. This is not the style of play we've come to expect from a Makelele-led midfield.

61 min.: I've in general been happy with the addition of Florent Malouda. Certainly he wins the "best of the summer acquisitions" award. Despite his recent submission to our injury jinx, he's provided an excellent attacking option on the wing, and unlike other previously discussed players he's usually more than happy to play the final pass. He's been relatively quiet today though.

63 min.: Makelele runs into an errant Michael Brown elbow and goes down in a heap. The replays don't seem to suggest any malice, but Claude is hurting. It's odd seeing an animated Henk Ten Cate on the sideline ... if the hiring of Avram Grant was the writing on the wall from management signaling the end of the Mourinho era, how does Grant feel with Ten Cate looking over his shoulder? Makelele goes off for treatment ... looks like he got his bell rung.

67 min.: Now SWP goes down under a Brown challenge. Chelsea are dying to get him in the ref's book. Meanwhile, play continues and Sidwell tries to lob up to Anelka. Not a great through ball, and Wigan clears.

70 min.: Odd watching the lanky former Blue Mario Melchiot. He was a starting defender when i saw my team lose to Charlton at Stamford Bridge in 2001. I used to be reasonably impressed with his abilities, but he's done little to distinguish himself since moving to Birmingham City and subsequently Wigan.

72 min.: No changes yet for Chelsea, but then it's not like our bench is incredibly deep at the moment. Anelka races to beat Kirkland to a long ball forward, but loses to both the keeper and the offside flag. I didn't know squad numbers went up to 39.

74 min.: Alex looks like someone who'd rough you up behind a dive bar. Chelsea seems to be falling into a defensive, counterattacking strategy. The departure of Mourinho means this happens about 25 minutes later than it used to.

77 min.: Cole beats a defender off the dribble on the right side and floats a cross in to Malouda on the far side of goal, but his volley goes wide. Nicely worked chance there. The commentator reveals a possible reason for the awful pitch: the Wigan Warriors rugby team also plays at the JJB. Florent Malouda comes off for Paulo Ferreira as the Blues defensive mindset becomes more apparent.

81 min.: A little shove from Anelka on Kevin Kilbane frees him on goal, and with defenders closing he slides the ball over to SWP, who slots home with a slight deflection off the keeper's foot. Game over. Not the most overwhelming offensive display from Chelsea, but we were clearly the better team. Only moments later Joe Cole fires a shot over the bar with Chelsea marauding the Wigan area. Who's leading 2-nil here?

86 min.: A cracker from sub Antoine Sibierski, pulling off a chest-spin-shoot combo worthy of Didier Drogba, and now it's 2-1. Was my "game over" premature? Can't really fault the defense on that one, it was an excellent strike. Only 14,000 at the stadium ... it looks half empty. Back to reality for the club who impressed so much (ie, finished higher than 15th) after being promoted?

91 min.: Claudio Pizarro comes on for Nicolas Anelka, in what can only be described as a time-wasting maneuver. Shortly thereafter, Marcus Bent hits a beautiful shot first time that glances off the top of the crossbar. Very close to forcing a replay there. Chelsea's vaunted albeit jury-rigged back line are looking a bit nervous.

93 min.: The final whistle goes and it can't come soon enough for Chelsea. Into the next round of the FA Cup, although our frailties began to emerge in the last ten minutes. Lamps, JT, and Drogs can't come back fast enough.