‘Offside’ goal helps Chelsea

LONDON – Fernando Torres helped spare Chelsea from an early Premier League setback Wednesday, scoring the decisive goal as the European champions came from behind to beat newcomer Reading 4-2.The unmarked Torres tapped the ball into the net from Ashley Cole’s cross from what appeared to be an offside position in the 81st minute to make it 3-2.“It was clearly offside which was really disappointing,” said Reading manager Brian McDermott, who protested to the referee’s assistant. “It’s just a shame he has made a mistake for such a crucial goal.”But there was no disputing the fourth in the fifth minute of stoppage time. As Reading piled forward in search of an equalizer, Eden Hazard broke free on a counterattack and set up Branislav Ivanovic to score.Chelsea had led through Frank Lampard’s 18th-minute penalty kick, but Pavel Pogrebnyak’s header and Danny Guthrie’s free kick put Reading into a surprise lead at half time.Defender Gary Cahill sparked the comeback in the 69th when his long-range strike was fumbled into his own net by Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici.Torres’ goal made it two wins out of two for Roberto Di Matteo’s side in their first home match since winning the Champions League for the first time. That victory over Bayern Munich - coupled with the FA Cup final win in May - glossed over Chelsea’s sixth-place finish in the Premier League and secured the manager’s job on a full-time basis for Di Matteo.

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‘Offside’ goal helps Chelsea