The eagerly anticipated start of the Premier League season was met with a tense atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, as Phil Brown became the first manager to pit his wits against new Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea started brightly, and when Michael Essien's cross found Drogba unmarked in the first minute, the striker snatched at a right foot volley from close range as the ball soared wide. Naturally disappointed with his effort, he continued to make a nuisance of himself throughout the half, with his physical presence causing problems for the Hull defence.
Florent Malouda went close on several occasions, and looked lively with his direct running and incisive passing, and was often the catalyst in Chelsea's imaginative interplay which at times lacked that crucial final ball.
Hull themselves presented an admirable challenge, and they shocked the home side on the 28th minute, when new £2.5 million signing Stephen Hunt calmly put the Tigers into the lead after a fortunate deflection rebounded into his path. The debutant was probably Hull's best outfield player, and his deliveries into the penalty area produced unnecessary difficulties for a Chelsea defensive quartet which are established internationals.
Equaliser
Hull's lead lasted only nine minutes. Take a bow Didier Drogba, who from 25 yards swept his free-kick up and over the wall with an elegant poise to beat goalkeeper Boaz Myhill to score a vital equaliser on the 37th minute. There was an element of controversy following the goal, as Hull argued about the authenticity of the free-kick when John Obi Mikel went down too easily.
Hull's resistance
Phil Brown's team defended stubbornly in the second half, with captain Andy Dawson leading the heroics throwing himself into one challenge after the next to deny a dominant Chelsea onslaught. Bosingwa, Anelka, and Michael Essien all went close, as they tried to fashion a second half lead, though Boaz Myhill in the Hull goal kept them at bay with a string of world class saves.
Stephen Hunt's debut came to an end midway through the half as, Phil Brown introduced another new signing; Kamel Ghilas to the game, however the former Celta Vigo striker failed to make a convincing impression.
Drogba Breaks Deadlock
Ancelotti brought Deco on for Malouda, and Kalou on for Anelka with ten minutes remaining and they combined immediately as the latter squandered Deco's cross and headed over the bar. With the game seemingly en-route towards a stalemate, Chelsea rallied as the fourth official signalled six minutes of injury time. This was Didier Drogba's que to weave into the Hull area from the by-line and he chipped over Myhill from an acute angle with a very polished finish on 92 minutes, to score his second of the game and give Carlo Ancelotti his first win of the season.
Chelsea Boss: "We Have To Improve"
Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's spirit in the post match interview at Stamford Birdge, though he conceded that the team has to improve.
"For sure we have to improve because we didn't always play well in this match," said Ancelotti.
"We made some mistakes. But this is normal after one month.
"We have to improve our play and continuity in matches. This game was very difficult because we went behind.
"But we didn't lose the idea to play and at the end we deserved to win. It is good for the team to believe all the time that they could score.
"This is football, a nice part of football. It is important for us to believe."
