GUY Fawkes got it wrong with his gunpowder plot. If he had wanted to see a real explosion, he should have booked himself a seat at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers, rather than wasting his time at Westminster.

The game blew up like one of those hurricanes that weatherman Michael Fish said we needn't worry about - just before the garden fence blew down.

Seven bookings, two red cards and a confrontation between the two benches, yet - maybe Brian Kidd, who described it as the "blood and thunder of the Premiership", had a point - no real blood on the pitch.

For Rovers there was an invaluable and creditable draw gained but another stain on an astonishing disciplinary record which has now seen nine Ewood players red carded in all competitions.

Some will claim they are paying the price for the wrong kind of battling attitude. But it was their sheer spirit and determination that ensured they matched the title-chasers.

What is it about Rovers and Chelsea this season? Two sent off at Ewood, two more last night in Gianluca Vialli and Marlon Broomes and that means player-manager Vialli has now walked twice against Rovers.

The previous time he was guilty of an assault on Stephane Henchoz when he really meant to get Patrick Valery! Last night Vialli exploited Broomes' inexperience but both saw red.

Incredibly, despite fourth official Paul Alcock being on hand, sent-off Vialli was allowed to stay on the bench, until he was involved in the verbal confrontation with his counterparts.

Frank Leboeuf and Chris Sutton were having their own private duel on the pitch.

Sutton's post-match explanations about the Frenchman's ego were met with approval from the assembled London Press, I might add.

And, amid all this, referee Uriah Rennie was earning the scorn of both sides.

It was as though the players had decided they had better look out for themselves because the referee didn't really seem to know what was going on.

An innocuous foul got a booking but, seconds later, a worse tackle did not even warrant a free kick.

Such decisions simply added fuel to the fire in a game where Chelsea called the tune for 45 minutes but then discovered Rovers were not prepared to lie down and roll over. At half-time, the Rovers dressing room would have seen mixed feelings - disappointment at conceding a goal so late, yet relief that the deficit was still only one.

For the opening half was totally dominated by Chelsea, from the very first minute when John Filan made a superb reflex save from Gianfranco Zola's close-range header.

Rovers made just one serious threat on the Chelsea goal when Matt Jansen, out of nothing really, forced Ed de Goey into a fine early save. In the ninth minute, Marlon Broomes committed the slightest of tugs at Gianluca Vialli's shirt, the Italian - what else? - tumbled to the ground to make sure and the referee was right on the spot to see the offence.

But Leboeuf's penalty was brilliantly saved by Filan, diving low to his right to push the ball onto the post. It was the Frenchman's first miss in 16 attempts.

Rovers, infuriatingly unable to keep possession, were in danger of being run ragged by Chelsea's excellent passing and movement yet somehow they held on until just before the break.

The home side's eighth corner was played short, crossed by Roberto di Matteo, headed out by Broomes, back across the edge of the penalty area by Vialli and Jody Morris hit an excellent low shot through a crowd of bodies and into the bottom corner. Rovers sent on Keith Gillespie, reshuffled slightly and, all of a sudden, it was a different ball game.

They looked capable of taking something, not least when Jansen threatened twice.

But Filan still had to make a fine save from Vialli when Rovers failed poorly to clear their lines.

The tide was definitely turning, however, just as the heat was rising, and, in the 84th minute, came a delightful equaliser.

From a Chelsea attack, Rovers broke rapidly down the right. Jason McAteer flipped a pass to Gillespie and the winger was on his bike.

He measured his cross perfectly for Ashley Ward to get in behind the defenders and power his header past a helpless keeper.

That really kicked off the bother.

A minute later, Broomes and Vialli clashed on the edge of Rovers' box. The free kick eventually went to Rovers but Broomes retaliated and the way things had been going any such confrontation was bound to lead to a red card.

In the closing minutes, staff on the benches confronted each other with Vialli finally being ushered to the dressing room.

Then we had the fourth official indicating one (!) extra minute and nearly four played with an obvious danger that there might soon be more red-card victims.

The final whistle did not exactly signal peace as the arguing continued. But it did signal another point, ultimately a deserved one, for Rovers who refused to be intimidated.

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