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With crisis turning into catastrophe and his sacking as Chelsea manager looming, Carlo Ancelotti was saved, for a while at least, by a man thought to be his most weak-minded player.

Nicolas Anelka’s gloomy disposition, reluctance to accept authority and reputation as a troublemaker earned him the nickname “Le Sulk” long ago, and with Chelsea’s season collapsing hurriedly, the French striker may have been the last person one would expect to stand tall and engineer a revival.

Yet just four days after messing up a penalty shootout attempt vs. Everton that hastened Chelsea’s FA Cup exit, Anelka produced a barnstorming, two-goal display to sink Champions League opponent FC Copenhagen and, barring a horrendous second-leg meltdown, book his side’s place in the quarterfinals.

Elimination in the round-of-16 stage would have left Chelsea with nothing to play for this season and in all likelihood would have seen Ancelotti clearing his desk Thursday morning. Instead, for all the recent doom and miserable performances, Tuesday’s 2-0 result ensured there remains some life in the West London club’s campaign and the opportunity to win the one trophy owner Roman Abramovich covets more than any other.

If Tuesday night marks a turning point, the fact that its fuse was lit by Anelka will go down as an extraordinary twist. The 31-year-old’s feet are laced with rare talent, yet his head has been occupied by demons for most of his career. Bitter Champions League memories still fester.

Anelka came on as a late substitute in the 2008 final against Manchester United, the closest Chelsea has ever come to lifting the trophy. After Chelsea captain John Terry slipped and hit the post on the effort that could have clinched glory, Anelka stepped up for his shootout attempt and could only aim a tame strike within easy reach of Edwin Van Der Sar, sparking United delirium.

If ever there was a time that Anelka’s frail mindset would be exposed, this would be it. Chelsea’s form has been woeful in recent months, and the criticism has poured in. The arrival of Fernando Torres, whose record signing contract has drawn the gamut of attention, means that either Anelka, Didier Drogba or the $79.5 million man himself must start on the bench each week.

On Tuesday it was Drogba who made way, giving Torres another chance to open his Chelsea account after a disappointing start to life at his new club. But instead, it was Anelka who grabbed the headlines.

This kind of form makes it increasingly unlikely that a move for Anelka to Major League Soccer, a rumor widely reported in the French media earlier this month, will take place any time soon. L’Equipe newspaper claimed that Anelka was disillusioned with Torres’ arrival and a likely shift down the pecking order – and was considering joining his compatriot Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls.

Forget about that for now, especially with Ancelotti suspecting he has found something that could get him out of trouble. Whatever his initial thoughts about Torres’ signing, Anelka is now benefitting from the defensive attention the Spaniard commands, opening up extra space and freedom for himself.

“Anelka was able to score, and Torres had a lot of opportunities that he created with his movement,” said Ancelotti. “[Our season is] still alive. I had this idea before the game and I maintain it now. We are not dead.”

Chelsea still has deep problems, and Ancelotti’s stint in charge is likely to end as soon as his team is knocked out of this competition. For now, though, he is still alive and kicking, after a night when “Le Sulk” took the chip off his shoulder and came to the rescue.

Labels: alive, Chelsea, keeps, Sports, Yahoo

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi struck a late winner to earn Barcelona a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday and keep the Spanish champions five points clear at the top of La Liga.

In Italy, Claudio Ranieri resigned as AS Roma coach after they squandered a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 at Genoa.

SPAIN

Lionel Messi rescued a nervy Barcelona with a late goal to earn a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in a thrilling La Liga match on Sunday. The World Player of the Year dinked in the winner in the 77th minute as Barca desperately poured forward after Andoni Iraola had cancelled out David Villa’s early opener with a 49th-minute penalty.

Barca moved on to 65 points from 24 matches, keeping Real Madrid five points back in second after Jose Mourinho’s outfit eased to a 2-0 victory over Levante on Saturday.

Fourth-placed Villarreal’s faltering form continued when they were held 1-1 at home by basement side Malaga and new Osasuna coach Jose Luis Mendilibar led his team to a stunning 4-0 win over sixth-placed Espanyol.

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ITALY

Claudio Ranieri quit as coach of AS Roma after they surrendered a 3-0 lead to lose 4-3 at Genoa while fellow underachievers Juventus were beaten 2-0 at lowly Lecce after having Gianluigi Buffon sent off early.

Leaders AC Milan needed a controversial Robinho goal where he used his arm and a late strike from substitute Alexandre Pato to see off Chievo 2-1 but second-placed Napoli kept pace with a 1-0 win over Catania.

Inter Milan in third also had some luck with Andrea Ranocchia’s winner in a 1-0 victory over Cagliari counting despite the Italy defender looking offside.

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ENGLAND

Leyton Orient grabbed the limelight in the FA Cup when they grabbed a dramatic last-minute equaliser to force a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in their fifth round tie on Sunday.

The League One side stole the thunder from Everton who ended Chelsea’s dreams of a third successive FA Cup final victory with a 4-3 penalty shootout win at Stamford Bridge after their fourth round replay ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Minor-league Crawley Town also hit the headlines after making Premier League leaders Manchester United, who have won the FA cup a record 11 times, battle for a slender 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Manchester City kept alive their chances of a first major trophy since 1976 when they thumped League One Notts County 5-0 in a fourth round replay at Eastlands.

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FRANCE

Leaders Lille went down 1-0 at Montpellier, allowing Stade Rennes to cut the gap at the top to two points with a late penalty in a 2-1 victory at Toulouse.

Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyon and Paris St Germain also all won to set up a thrilling finale to Ligue 1 with five clubs within four points of each other with 14 games left.

Girondins Bordeaux and Monaco lost again as their poor seasons contrast markedly with France’s other big names.

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SCOTLAND

Celtic took a big step towards the Scottish Premier League title by beating their Old Firm rivals Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead on Sunday to move eight points clear at the top of the table, although Rangers have two matches in hand.

Gary Hooper scored twice in the opening 28 minutes to put Celtic in command before Kris Commons made it 3-0 20 minutes from time as the big two played out the fourth of their seven planned meetings this season, including cup games.

Third-placed Hearts moved to within two points of Rangers when they beat Dundee United 2-1 on Saturday but have also played two more matches than Walter Smith’s team.

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NETHERLANDS

PSV Eindhoven brushed aside 10-man NAC Breda 4-1 to go two points clear at the top of the Dutch league as rivals Twente Enschede were held 1-1 by NEC Nijmegen.

Twente had Emir Bajrami to thank for a point after he cancelled out an early opening goal from Nijmegen’s Niki Zimling.

(Editing by Dave Thompson; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Barcelona, clear, keeps, quits, Ranieri, Reuters, RoundupMessi

Bernie Ecclestone is to monitor the political unrest in Bahrain over the weekend before making a definitive decision on the future of the season-opening grand prix next month.

Ecclestone appreciates the shifting sands of a volatile situation are too difficult to predict, and that he will be better equipped to appraise the matter in a few days.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, where teams have been testing for the new season, world champion Sebastian Vettel posted the fastest time of the day in his Red Bull, with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso second.

Labels: Ecclestone, Independent, keeps, violence, Watch

A brace from Wayne Rooney in a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa kept Manchester United five points clear at the top of the Premier League, but Arsenal and Chelsea stayed in touch with the unbeaten leaders with come-from-behind victories on Tuesday. Rooney scored with virtually the first and last kicks of the first half at Old Trafford to help United to a convincing win that equaled the club's...

Labels: brace, clear, keeps, points, Rooney, United

But they trailed 16-0 after just 20 minutes at Murrayfield and managed just three points when Wales were reduced to 13 men and will be looking for their points of the competition when they entertain Ireland after the rest week. 

“I fully expect to see a rejuvenated Scotland take the game to Ireland in a fortnight,” said Hastings, who won all four of his matches against Wales at Murrayfield.

“It would be difficult to take any positives from the game.

“There were incredible errors that you wouldn't accept in a schoolboys' game.

“But it's too early to lose faith with this team.

“After Paris there was an awful lot of expectancy from the Scottish public.

“[Scotland head coach] Andy Robinson was incredibly disappointed with the performance of the team and I think they will work incredibly hard before Ireland come.”

Full back Sean Lamont came out criticising the effort of his teammates after the demoralising defeat.

And Hastings believes Lamont’s outburst was a clear indication of underlying problems.

“With a player expressing those views publically then you've got to think something has been wrong in the Scottish camp,” said the former British and Irish Lions captain.

“He's not having a go, he's suggesting that the players own up to their own mistakes.

“If a clear-the-air session can address those issues then I'm all for it.” 

Labels: faith, Hastings, keeps, Nations, Scotland