BALLACK: IT WAS CLOSE

Michael Ballack admitted the Blues created a nervous climax to Saturday's win over Bolton.

Three second-half goals from the visitors produced a tense final 10 minutes to the weekend win as Chelsea strove to prevent Bolton's fourth, but fortunately the Blues held out, despite our northern rivals battering the Chelsea box in search for their equaliser.

'We lost concentration,' explained Ballack, 'We were too safe and they tried to play long balls and they are always strong in the air.

'Then they scored one and then another one and suddenly you start thinking, it shouldn't happen with a team like us.

'Once you concede you get nervous and it is difficult after to change the flow of the game and get back in the game, but we saved the three points which is important otherwise we would be very disappointed.'

Ballack helped Chelsea towards the win with his opening goal, the first time he's found the net in the Barclays Premier League this season.

'That makes me happy, but more importantly, after an exciting game we could get the three points and we played good football, although, in the end, we shouldn't concede three goals.'

On top of Ballack's first-half strike, further goals came from a Didier Drogba double and Frank Lampard's converted penalty.

Drogba's first goal, Chelsea's second, saw a sneaky Lampard free-kick tapped into the Ivorian's path just in front of the six-yard box. His second was a tap-in from close range following an Branislav Ivanovic header, as the Serbian searched for his third goal in four days after heading two against Liverpool midweek.

'It is always difficult if you play a game between such important games, and we started a little bit sloppy but we improved,' said Ballack.

'It was important we scored before half time, then we came out and we scored another three goals but then it was very close in the end.'

It was another three points secured though, but with Chelsea sitting third with 67 points, four behind Manchester United who still possess a game in hand, Ballack feels the Blues may have a better chance in the other remaining competitions, although he refuses to give up on the league.

'We will try everything, even in the league, we will try to win every game until the end and of course, looking at the table, we have more chance in the Champions League and FA Cup than the league.

'Next we have Liverpool. Everybody knows Liverpool is a big team and they have scored nearly four goals in every game recently, but we'll play at home and we are strong.

'But we will have to work again, with the same attitude and effort to get into the next round,' he added.