Everton 1 Chelsea 1: Saha returns to niggle Chelsea but Cup holders' fightback earns draw

Chelsea may have lacked a bite Fernando Torres could provide, but showed enough spirit to maintain their grip on the FA Cup on Saturday.

The Blues' fourth-round tie at Everton was overshadowed by their attempts to sign Liverpool's star striker but manager Carlo Ancelotti would speak only about the players already at the club.

Questions about Torres were off limits at Goodison Park as Chelsea turned their attention back to on-field matters and their bid to win a third successive FA Cup.

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And while Torres may have scored some crucial goals against them in recent years, their hopes were almost derailed by another striker who has a knack of hurting them.

Louis Saha found Chelsea's net three times last season as well as after just 25 seconds of the 2009 FA Cup final, and he did so again with a firm header in the 62nd minute.

That rewarded the Toffees for a superb start to the second half but they could not add a crucial second goal during their spell in the ascendancy.

Seamus Coleman went the closest when he forced a brilliant save from Petr Cech with a diving header and then had his attempt to turn in the rebound blocked by Michael Essien.

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Chelsea made the most of the reprieve and broke forward to secure a 1-1 draw – and a replay at Stamford Bridge that will not take place for three weeks – with an equaliser from substitute Salomon Kalou.

Ancelotti said: "We have to try to win the cup. Last year it was fantastic to win the competition and we will try to do the same this year.

"We wanted to win here, obviously, but the result is not bad because we were 1-0 down.

"We showed good spirit and attitude on the pitch and were able to draw.

"Now we look to the next game at home and move on."

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Chelsea, despite back-to-back Barclays Premier League wins, are still looking for the spark to reignite their season after falling 10 points behind the pace in the title race.

They at least welcomed midfield talisman Frank Lampard back from injury but the likes of Didier Drogba, who was limping towards the end, and Florent Malouda were again quiet.

With a replay at home, Chelsea will now be even stronger favourites to progress but Everton do not believe their chance has gone.

Midfielder Jack Rodwell said: "We have done well there before and it is a cup game, so anything can happen."