The Blues concede from a late set-piece again as a 90^th minute Southend equaliser gives the League One side a replay, Salomon Kalou having opened the scoring.

The penalty was paid for not taking numerous chances, Chelsea totally dominant in terms of possession and territory but lacking in decision-making in and around the Southend area to turn dominant play into goals.

Kalou's 30^th minute opener had been a header from a corner and it was a header by defender Peter Clarke from a throw that levelled it up, Southend having only looked like scoring when hitting the crossbar minutes earlier.

The side selected by Scolari was much-changed but didn't lack for experience. Young legs were on the bench in the shape of Michael Mancienne, Lee Sawyer, Scott Sinclair and Franco Di Santo but on the pitch, a spine of Carlo Cudicini, Ricardo Carvalho, John Mikel Obi, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba should not have been one to be worried by the occasion.

Juliano Belletti was in midfield in a forward-running position and Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou were the wide players in attack,

For Southend, Chelsea Academy product Anthony Grant moved to the right of midfield to make room in the centre for new loan-signing from Portsmouth, Jean-Francois Christophe.

He was detailed to hold the midfield, with Alan McCormack at the front of diamond dropping deep when Chelsea had possession.

The opening five minutes were uneventful, Frank Lampard well off-target with a 30-yard free kick the one attempt on goal.

On nine minutes Didier Drogba looked to have a clear sight of goal inside the area after Joe Cole had slipped him in but Southend right back Sankofa slid in with a very well-timed block.

Then three minutes later, Frank Lampard put Cole through with a well-disguised pass but his England colleague fired across goal and wide.

Lampard shot wide in the 14^th minute after a patient move. Chelsea were beginning to pepper the Shed End goal, packed by 6,000 visiting fans, with good efforts.

The next shot was Kalou's - off-target after a swerving run through the centre of the Southend defence and then Ashley Cole had a right-foot shot saved.

On 22 minutes, Drogba did get the ball past keeper Mildenhall, just about, but it trundled agonisingly wide. It was surely just a matter of time before territorial superiority was turned into a goal.

The Blues took another eight minutes to find the net and when the goal came, it was simplicity itself. Drogba won a corner after a defence-splitting pass by Carvalho. The ball in from Lampard found Kalou eight yards out at the far post with enough time to head home without fuss.

On 34 minutes, Ashley Cole chipped a ball in to near-post lurking Drogba but as the cross lacked power, so did the striker's header.

Belletti, in his attacking midfield role, was heavily involved in the Chelsea threats up to the interval but the Blues could not find a second goal. When Southend's second corner of the game in stoppage time ended in a foul by their own man, the half ended with the single-goal lead and the League One side yet to trouble Cudicini

The Chelsea keeper did have to be quick off his line to gather a through ball by Herd ahead of Barnard three minutes into the second half. At the other end the game's first booking was given to McCormack who felled Drogba in full flight. Lampard's free-kick was driven straight into the wall but when the loose ball was eventually returned into the area, Drogba climbed well but headed straight at the keeper.

Mikel followed into the book five minutes later for a foul on Herd.

The second half was being played entirely in the final third of the pitch, Chelsea winning a succession of corners that were not capitalised upon. Belletti volleyed on-target from the edge of the area but the ball was deflected wide.

That corner did not amount to much either but the next one from Lampard on 66 minutes had a dangerous trajectory and was headed down by Belletti but was cleared off the line by the young left back Herd.

Drogba was next to advance into the area but his ball in hit a sliding Ashley Cole and flew over.

Southend made a triple substitution with quarter of an hour to go, including a switch of both their strikers and the visitors' one genuine moment of hope up to that point came on 82 minutes when Herd hooked over a ball after his long throw had been cleared.

Cudicini at the far post was beaten to the ball by Clarke, a looping header bouncing off the top of the bar with Chelsea men racing back onto the line.

Scolari's first substitution was Di Santo for Joe Cole on 83 minutes, Sinclair for Kalou followed three minutes later.

Anthony Grant was a late booking, to soon be followed by Ferreira but before then and with 90 minutes on the clock, Chelsea gave way to a long throw from the right by Herd, flicked-on inadvertently by Carvalho and headed past Cudicini by centre-back Clarke.

All thoughts were already on a replay but then three minutes into a stoppage time, Lampard did very well to swivel and cross and Di Santo's diving header was brilliantly saved by Mildenhall.

The replay will be at Roots Hall on Wednesday January 14, kick off 7.45pm.

Chelsea(4-3-3): Cudicini; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Carvalho, A Cole; Belletti, Mikel, Lampard (c); J Cole (Di Santo 83), Drogba, Kalou (Sinclair 87).
Scorer Kalou 31
Booked Mikel 55, Ferreira 90+4

Southend (4-4-2): Mildenhall; Sankofa, Clarke, Barrett (c), Herd; Grant, Christophe (Moussa 74), McCormack, Stanislas; Revell (Laurent 74), Barnard (Freedman 74).
Scorer Clarke 90.
Booked McCormack 50, Grant 88.