Holden's Bolton falls at Chelsea

• by Soccer America , Dec 30, 2010

[AMERICANS ABROAD] Stuart Holden could feel aggrieved that Bolton Wanderers did not leave rainy Stamford Bridge Wednesday with at least a point. The American midfielder did not get a handball call for a shot off the arm of John Terry in the first half and then watched as Florent Malouda scored after Didier Drogba beat the offside trap in the second half to give Chelsea a 1-0 win over the Trotters.

Bolton was also frustrated that Drogba was not called for offside before passing off to Malouda.

Later in the second half, Holden had a header tipped over the bar by Chelsea goalie Petr Cech before exiting the game.

The win ended the defending champions' six-match winless streak in the Premier League dating back more than two months.

Chelsea, which had a five-point lead earlier in the fall, moved into fourth place with Wednesday's win, two points behind leaders Manchester United and Manchester City.

Bolton, which plays at Liverpool on Sunday, remained in sixth place. Despite the loss, Bolton manager Owen Coyle is happy with his team's position.

"If somebody had said we'd be coming to Chelsea in the last game of the year with a chance to leapfrog them at that point," he said after the loss, "they'd have probably taken me away in a straightjacket."