Football: Coca-Cola Cup - Chelsea edge through after losing two- goal lead

A victory may be a victory but it will take more than this one on penalties to flush the dark memory of last weekend from Chelsea's system, even if it did put them into the last four of the Coca-Cola Cup where they will play Arsenal.

Just how much there was to rejoice in such an achievement, over and above personal pride, was difficult to say while the competition's prize - a place in next season's Uefa Cup - remains in limbo. Europe's governing body will rule on the matter next month.

Such considerations would have been immaterial for Chelsea had Bobby Petta, an Ipswich substitute, been more accurate in his finishing. With seven minutes of extra time remaining, the young Dutchman, put in behind Chelsea's defence by Matt Holland - no less, showed admirable composure in his finish, which beat fellow countryman Ed De Goey but struck the foot of a post and rebounded back into play. It was not the only occasion when the First Division club had their Premiership rivals on the rack.

Ruud Gullit's depression could easily have been made worse, but, despite insisting how pleased he was to win, it was difficult to gauge how highly Gullit rates the competition as he chose to omit from his starting line- up five of those who had begun last Sunday's chastening experience against Manchester United, among them Dan Petrescu and Michael Duberry and Mark Hughes. They were suffering from "flu and tiredness", according to Gullit, who came on after 20 minutes despite also being under the weather.

Saving goals as much as scoring them can win games and, when it came to the penalty shoot-out, De Goey emerged as a hero, saving from James Scowcroft and Mauricio Taricco. That was a pity since the Argentinian had been one of the real stars of the game, scoring the goal which halved Chelsea's advantage deep into first-half injury time.

Chelsea had cruised into the lead when Franck Leboeuf's raking pass picked out Graeme Le Saux. The England wing-back lobbed the ball first time into the middle where Tore Andre Flo stooped to head home.

Two minutes into injury time in the first half, Chelsea increased their lead when a dummy by Gianfranco Zola threw Ipswich's defence off its guard long enough for him receive a pass in space from Flo. From the Italian's cross, Le Saux had only to tap home from close range.

A further minute into injury time and the First Division side pulled a goal back. Taricco found Alex Mathie on the edge of the box and, when the Scot's shot was pushed away by De Goey, the Argentinian was there to finish off what he started by side-stepping the keeper to score.

The goal served to sharpen Ipswich's appetite and non-stop pressure at the start of the second half culminated in a deserved equaliser when Mathie side-footed home after Mick Stockwell had got beyond his full-back to make the cross.

Ipswich Town (3-5-2): Wright; Cundy, Mowbray, Venus (Tanner, 98); Stockwell, Holland, Williams, Dyer, Taricco; Mathie (Petta, 80), Scowcroft. Substitutes not used: Bracey (gk).

Chelsea (4-4-2) De Goey; Sinclair (Clarke, 46), Leboeuf, Myers (Gullit, 20) Granville; Lambourde, Di Matteo, Wise, Le Saux; Flo (M Hughes, 91), Zola.

Referee: P Durkin (Portland, Dorset).