Cole hits out at accusations of diving after penalty

CHELSEA midfielder Joe Cole has denied he is a “diver” after being accused of feigning a foul during the 2-0 victory over Portsmouth on Saturday.

Pompey fans turned on the England star after he earned the Barclays Premiership champions a penalty in the second half at Fratton Park.

Cole was brought down by Dejan Stefanovic and Frank Lampard, who, making a record-breaking 160th consecutive Premiership appearance, scored from the spot to ensure Chelsea moved 10 points clear of their nearest rivals at the top of the league.

But Cole insists the accusations are untrue and explained the game is played at such a speed these days that even the merest touch from a defender can send a player flying.

“There are some players in this country who are divers but I’m not one of them,” insisted Cole.

“I would never dive. It was definitely a penalty. I wasn’t trying to get anyone booked or sent off but they were fouling me so many times that sooner or later the ref was going to make a decision.

“Stefanovic definitely clipped me after we had scored the first goal but I didn’t know if the referee would realise that.”

Cole thought he was heading for a suspension instead of earning his side a penalty when the whistle first went.

“I thought he was coming over to book me so I made a gesture to say I hadn’t dived,” explained Cole.

“I wasn’t saying it wasn’t a foul. I was already on four bookings and another one would mean a suspension.

“The one thing I have shown is that I cannot be kicked out of a game. I’ve never been the sort of player to pull out of a challenge. That’s why I’ve already had four yellow cards this season. I do like a tackle.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard wants to reach a double-century of consecutive Premiership appearances and make his record “impossible” to be caught.

The 27-year-old has featured in 160 games in a row, passing the previous mark set by Manchester City goalkeeper David James.

His achievement, along with consistent high-level performances, meant Lampard finished second behind Barcelona’s Ronaldinho in the European Footballer of the Year poll.

Despite a temptation for Blues boss Jose Mourinho to rest Lampard, the England international does not want a spell on the sidelines.

“I want to push on beyond 200 games and make it impossible for anyone to break the record,” Lampard said.

“I don’t like being rested and I don’t want to take a break now. I really enjoy playing week-in, week-out and I’ve done that for the past four seasons.

“So I want to keep going until my legs tell me I can’t do it any more or the manager decides to leave me out.

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard finished third behind Lampard in the poll.