Chelsea's defensive options have been stretched of late with Cole, Branislav Ivanovic and Jose Bosingwa all ruled out.

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However it was almost a disastrous start as a sloppy Jose Bosingwa pass could easily have gifted Wolves a first-minute opener.

BBC: eng-prem

And while Boro failed to put pressure on the ball, Kalou, Malouda and full-backs Jose Bosingwa and Wayne Bridge in particular, exploited the space.

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Goalkeeper Petr Cech made some crucial saves in the game, while Jose Bosingwa's marking of Lionel Messi prevented the Argentine having a major impact on the game.

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The foul on Jo occurred inside the centre circle, with Terry's centre-back partner Ricardo Carvalho covering the play and full-back Jose Bosingwa also sprinting back to defend.

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O'Neill later claimed Villa should have had a penalty early in the first half after England striker Gabriel Agbonlahor went down in the box when challenged by Jose Bosingwa.

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Jose Bosingwa fired in a cross from the left towards Joao Moutinho but it arrived at an awkward height for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, who diverted the ball over the bar with his thigh.

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Suddenly, the Blues looked a hungrier and more purposeful outfit, with Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa providing width in the final third and Frank Lampard probing busily behind Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda.

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Having failed to score the early goal that would have settled their nerves, Chelsea's play became increasingly ragged, with a failure to get behind the visitors prompting Drogba and Jose Bosingwa into speculative efforts from distance.

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