http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,46-1122577,00.html
RANIERI: WIN WAS ALL-IMPORTANT
Sunday 8th February 2004
Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri confessed he was pleased to come away
with all three points after watching his below-par Chelsea side see off
Charlton.
The Blues, minus several key stars, were never near their best, and had
to rely on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's penalty to overcome their London
neighbours.
However, Ranieri declared that he was delighted with the battling
qualities of his troops.
"It was a good battle from the start to the end," stated the Italian.
"Our first half was good, we had two or three great chances to score and got
the penalty.
"The second half was hard work. It was important to fight and slow down
the tempo and keep the ball.
"We continued to press and had another two or three chances - but maybe
we were lacking a little.
"We are used to playing with (Claude) Makelele in the middle. He gives
us a good tempo and without him it is a little more difficult.
"But Alexis Nicolas played well. His debut was amazing and I am very
happy with this boy.
"The win is very important. It's another three points and we are in the
race.
"Every match we must win because we know Manchester and Arsenal continue
to run.
"I want to stay in it until the end. We are fighting really well and I
want to continue in this way."
Meanwhile, Eidur Gudjonsson, who claimed the man-of-the-match award
despite only coming on as a second-half substitute, insisted that The Blues
were just happy to have taken maximum points regardless of the performance.
"I thought the team looked tired towards the end and needed to create a
few chances - but fortunately we kept a clean sheet," said the Icelander.
"We were always dying for that second goal but fortunately we held on
until the end.
"The three points we needed, and that's the most important thing.
"We have still got to play the top two teams and we can still make an
impact this season."
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