Southend 1-4 Chelsea: FA Cup win lifts gloom for under pressure Scolari

They celebrated as if they'd won the title, not done what they were supposed to do and avoid humiliation.

Yet as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack threw their shirts into the travelling fans at Roots Hall to mark the win that hauled Luiz Felipe Scolari back from the abyss, the extent of Chelsea's decline and fall was on full public display.

In Jose Mourinho's first season, those triumphant scenes marked a brutal victory at Blackburn that made Chelsea believe the title was theirs to claim.

Last night, it signposted the sheer desperation and fear of failure that threatens to derail the entire campaign and send the Brazilian back to Rio with his reputation in tatters.

Three goals in the last halfhour from Salomon Kalou, Nicolas Anelka and Lampard proved that spirit still exists in the heart of Scolari's dressing room, even if he has done his best to fracture it completely.

Scolari had staked a huge amount of his remaining credibility in sorting out the catastrophic defending that had seen his men leak four out of six goals since Christmas from set-pieces.

Yet Petr Cech was left utterly exposed at a 16thminute corner as home skipper Adam Barrett steamed between Alex and Anelka to thump home.

Shocking and unacceptable, a symptom of the mess Scolari seems to be creating with every passing week, the rift which left Didier Drogba at home rather than travelling with his teammates part of the bigger picture.

Chelsea conspired to miss a catalogue of openings - including Joe Cole firing at Steve Mildenhall and Lampard thrashing into the keeper's chest - and only Cech's reflexes spared them true humiliation seven minutes before the break.

Alex Revell arrived perfectly to meet Osei Sankofa's cross as Chelsea stood ball-watching but with his side's season on the line Cech pulled off a truly stunning stop.

His counterpart Mildenhall had done everything right until the stroke of half-time when he got in a fearful muddle with his centre-half Peter Clarke. The ball fell to Ballack who hit it instinctively on the halfvolley and into the top corner.

The goal changed the mood, although Chelsea were only a set-piece away from imploding again.

Indeed, just two minutes before Kalou brought order amid the chaos, the new system left Jean-Francois Christophe completely unmarked only for him to head too high.

Better organised teams - like Stoke, for instance? - will be licking their lips even if Southend's legs gave up after Kalou took advantage of Cole's vision to beat Johnny Herd and find the far corner.

Cole was finding his form, but the England midfielder then suffered a nasty-looking knee injury.

Chelsea finally took advantage of the extra spaces with two in the last 11 minutes.

Both were simple. Anelka - finally showing something after hardly justifying his selection ahead of Drogba - side-footed home from Kalou, who then teed up Lampard for the bit of glitter.

Star dust, though, is in short supply at the Bridge.

Crisis averted for Scolari. But for how long?

Southend : Mildenhall 7, Sankofa 7, Clarke 6, Barrett 8, Herd 7, Grant 6 (Francis 85), Christophe 6, Moussa 6, Stanislaus 6, Revell 7, Barnard 6 (Freedman, 73, 6)

Chelsea : Cech 7; Bosingwa 7, Alex 5, Terry 6, A Cole 6, Mikel 5 (Belletti, 46, 6), J Cole 7 (Di Santo, 77, 5), Ballack 7, Lampard 6, Kalou 6, Anelka 5

Attendance : 11,314
Referee : Chris Foy

MAN OF THE MATCH Adam Barrett (SOUTHEND)

VILLAIN OF THE MATCH Alex (CHELSEA)

NEXT THREE GAMES

SOUTHEND
Saturday: Stockport (a) Lge One
Tue, Jan 20: L Orient (a) Lge One
Sat, Jan 24: Yeovil (h) Lge One

CHELSEA
Saturday: Stoke (h) Prem
Sat, Jan 24: Ipswich (h) FA Cup
Wed, Jan 28: Boro (h) Prem

Get your hands on this week's estimated jackpot of £100,000 by playing the New Football Pools .

Find out what our resident Premier League fan bloggers think - and let them know your views.

Follow every Premier League game live with our brilliant Match Tracker .