Independent:
Torres takes advantage of Belgian generosity
Chelsea 5 Genk 0
By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge
They wore a fuchsia-coloured kit, their manager was called Mr Been and they capitulated to give Chelsea their biggest-ever home win in Champions League football: if only all Andre Villas-Boas' European opponents were as easy to roll over as hapless Genk.
For Fernando Torres there were two goals, his first in this competition since April 2009, when he scored for Liverpool against his current club, and yet the £50m striker will probably wonder how he did not get a hat-trick. This was not Champions League, it was more like the third round of the FA Cup, just without the dignity for the plucky little underdogs.
Even Villas-Boas' legendary levels of politeness were stretched when he was asked to sum up the contribution of the Belgian champions who have found themselves in all sorts of trouble since they won the Jupiler League last season. Most of their championship-winning defence has either been sold or lost to injury and it showed last night when they went in four goals down at half-time.
This was fill-yer-boots time for Torres who picked off Genk with two very nicely-taken finishes in the first half, the first time he has scored more than one goal in a game for Chelsea. One miss aside he looked good but this was Genk. He would have got a tougher time off Anton Ferdinand at Queen's Park Rangers on Sunday. It is a pity that having found his groove he will be suspended for the visit to Loftus Road.
In midfield, Oriol Romeu was given his first start for the club in the Champions League and looked impressive. Villas-Boas said later that the boy from Barcelona had been given the "best possible education" at his former club. With Raul Meireles alongside him scoring his first goal for the club you could see again that a new order, if not quite a new team, is forming under Villas-Boas.
Once again he left John Terry out the squad, as he had done in the first home Champions League game of the season against Bayer Leverkusen. There was also no place in the squad for Didier Drogba but this is the way it is going to be under Villas-Boas where everyone must wait his turn.
Chelsea find themselves in a very strong position on top of Group E with Bayer Leverkusen in second place a point behind them. The game against the Germans on 23 November will probably prove decisive as to who wins the group but before then Chelsea have a trip to Belgium to face Genk again.
From the moment they walked out in those pink shirts, the Belgians did not look right and it was not long before they found themselves in much deeper trouble. There are still some good players in this Genk team, most notably the winger Kevin de Bruyne, who Chelsea tried to sign in the summer, but they looked like a side who had given up the ghost.
There was a match boycott threatened by some elements of the Chelsea support unhappy at the rise in ticket prices which looked as if it had been largely seen off by the club's tactic of giving away tickets. In the end the story was more about Genk's defence having the evening off rather than Chelsea's supporters.
In the summer Genk sold their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to Chelsea (who loaned him to Atletico Madrid). Their coach Franky Vercauteren left for a lucrative club deal in Abu Dhabi. And currently ninth in the league this season all those problems came home to roost last night.
Torres was marked in the first half by the Genk centre-half Abel Masuero who was so bad his substitution at half-time was the surest bet in the stadium. Still, the Spaniard looked sharp, although he should have done better than hit the post in the seventh minute when Ramires' ball picked him out in the penalty area.
Meireles scored the first on eight minutes, driving his shot low and well into the corner having taken the ball from Ashley Cole's pass. But the space and time afforded to him bordered on the luxurious. Three minutes later Torres stroked the ball past Laszlo Koteles having taken Frank Lampard's pass into his stride.
Only David Luiz looked like a liability at times, getting himself booked far too early in the half than is healthy for a centre-back. On 27 minutes Torres got across Masuero again and angled his header from Meireles' ball across Koteles and into the far corner. It was a masterful finish but he was not exactly under intensive pressure.
There should have been more goals, Florent Malouda missed from a Torres cut-back. Then with three minutes of the half remaining, Branislav Ivanovic got above Masuero and headed in Malouda's free-kick from the right, given away by the sheer clumsiness of Daniel Pudil.
There are not many options for a manager when his team are facing the kind of humiliation that poor old Mario Been was contemplating at half-time. His side had let him down dreadfully. His defence had surrendered and he faced around £100m of attacking talent champing at the bit to do even more damage in the second half. What does a man do?
First of all he took off Masuero who had been in dereliction of duty for at least three of Chelsea's four goals in the first half. Then he pretty much hoped for the best.
The margin of Chelsea's lead permitted Villas-Boas to give Cole a rest at half-time and later Lampard also came off. There was little threat from Genk and Torres should have scored when Jose Bosingwa crossed on 72 minutes. Instead there was an excellent save from Koteles and, when the ball came loose, substitute Salomon Kalou scored from the rebound.
Goodbye Genk; hello the knockout round of the Champions League. This team is starting to look more distinctively like Villas-Boas' team with every game, and he is doing it with the minimum of fuss.
======================
Guardian:
Fernando Torres scores twice as Chelsea stroll past feeble Genk
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
The Champions League is not supposed to serve up mismatches as resounding as this. Chelsea juggled their first-team options, allowing the likes of John Terry, Juan Mata and Didier Drogba a breather up in the stands, but still strolled to their biggest home win in this competition and hardly broke into a sweat in the process. Life among Europe's elite should never feel this comfortable.The hosts might have run up a cricket score had they not effectively declared at the interval, the second-half saunter yielding a fifth goal while Genk's players wheezed at the casual ferocity of it all. The champions of Belgium had arrived in disarray, their confidence brittle and the team severely depleted. They departed a side shattered. "I was happy to stick at 5-0, thank you very much," said their coach, Mario Been. "We gave them too many of their goals, but they were still on a completely different level to us."
In truth, it was hard to assess Chelsea's longer-term credentials from such a turkey shoot. André Villas-Boas could point to Fernando Torres's confident finishing, the Spaniard having ended 875 scoreless minutes in this competition by converting the hosts' second goal early on. There was a commanding display from Oriol Romeu in central midfield, an area where Raul Meireles coaxed and created with assurance. But the hosts were not tested. Genk are unrecognisable from the side that claimed their domestic title last term, with key players having been sold or currently cluttering up the treatment room back home. They were makeshift here and, by the interval, already long since buried.Chelsea will never have it so easy. With the midfielder Daniel Tozser playing as a centre-half and Abel Masuero, an Argentinian whose competitive debut came in the defeat at Lokeren on Saturday, at his side, the heart of Genk's defence gaped open. The centre-backs almost contrived to conjure an own goal in the opening four minutes with their positioning so prone. Their evening quickly degenerated from that far from promising start. Meireles, given space by Khaleem Hyland, fizzed in the opener from distance beyond a static Laszlo Koteles and the procession was under way.
It was Torres, inevitably perhaps, who benefited most from his opponents' inadequacies. Restored to the line-up while two games through a three-game domestic suspension, the Spaniard's first reward in this competition for more than two years actually came early, Meireles and Frank Lampard having combined with the latter sliding his pass across the hapless Masuero for Torres to collect. The finish was smartly steered beyond Koteles, Torres's poise restored after he had earlier contrived to hit the post from close range. His second, a fine header guided into the corner while Masuero dawdled, took his plunder to four goals in as many games for his club, the kind of return that might be expected of a £50m outlay.
Genk had wilted, their lack of conviction betraying their slump into ninth place in the 16-team Jupiler League to date this season. Daniel Pudil's foul on Nicolas Anelka just before the interval, which earned the left-back a suspension from the return fixture in Belgium in two weeks' time, almost felt like an attempt to ensure he did not have to endure this runaround all over again. As the Czech contemplated a midweek off in early November, Branislav Ivanovic leapt above Masuero – who did not reappear for the second period – to nod in a fourth from Florent Malouda's free-kick.
The only hints of a riposte were conjured by Kevin de Bruyne, a talented young winger who seems destined to move to Chelsea next summer, though only complacency would have allowed the visitors a route back into the contest. Aside from David Luiz's tendency to over-elaborate in possession – the Brazilian's defensive discipline remains a work in progress – the home side were in no mood to comply. Torres might have registered a hat-trick only for Koteles to summon a wondrous save from a point-blank effort 17 minutes from time. True to the Hungarian goalkeeper's dismal luck, Salomon Kalou, who had been on the pitch for barely five minutes, tapped in the rebound.Far sterner tests than this await in the competition, and even the Belgians will be more awkward opponents at the Cristal Arena. But, for now, this was another chance taken to pep confidence and find bite. This game had been the subject of an attempted boycott by supporters incensed by a hike on ticket prices for Champions League group games. If the official attendance of 38,518 suggested that had failed, those who had stayed away might have cursed missing such a rout.
=========================
Telegraph:
Chelsea 5 Racing Club Genk 0
By Henry Winter, at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea fans turned up but the opposition did not. For all the talk of a boycott over ticket prices, the Bridge was practically full to see Chelsea record their biggest home win in the Champions League, destroying Belgian visitors who resembled not so much minnows as plankton.
This was a night to worry about the quality of some sides who dine at the top table of European football but it was also an evening to feast the eyes on the quality of some of Chelsea’s passing, moving and finishing. The Chelsea fans who formed the majority of the 38,518 crowd loved it.
The plaudits will be shared by Fernando Torres, who scored twice and looked his old, swaggering predatory self, and Raul Meireles, whose exceptional all-round performance was rewarded with a goal, but another of Andre Villas-Boas’s players kept commanding the attention.
Oriol Romeu looked a real force in central midfield on his first start, breaking up Genk’s admittedly few attacks. Romeu loves a challenge, putting in magnificent tackles on Thomas Buffel and Anthony Vanden Borre, rising up with the ball each time and earning rich applause.
Only 20, Romeu can win the ball emphatically and use it expertly, looking every inch another classy graduate from the fabled Barcelona footballing production line. The Catalans may need to check that buy-back clause if he continues to mature.
“You see that Romeu is educated in the way of Barcelona’s school, and that is the best education,’’ reflected Villas-Boas. “He puts his individual talent to the team objective. The No6 allows the game to run. But Raul and John Obi [Mikel] have also done that. It’s funny because he assumes body positions different to the others. Oriol is facing our own goal, receiving the ball from the goalkeeper and defenders, and that’s where he dictates the game.”
In truth, the visitors were woeful, seemingly devoid of ambition and wretched in defence. The only resistance came from Genk’s terrific supporters, who sang throughout, including a word-perfect version of You’ll Never Walk Alone. Maybe that was why Torres looked so at home.
Still suspended domestically, the Spaniard was on song for Europe. He was excellent, brimming with movement and belief. Always a confidence player, Torres was all silky touch here, a creature of instinct again.
These were his first goals in the Champions League for 2½ years. In addition, one of his passes to Frank Lampard was a joy to behold, the ball crossed with the outside of his right boot, demanding far better than the Englishman’s header wide. “It’s important for players to feel confident,’’ observed Villas-Boas, “and he’s feeling confident in his abilities.”
No wonder. Genk would have restored any opponent’s belief. It had been difficult to know what was more shocking from Genk: the magenta colouring of their strip or their off-colour defending. Chelsea were two goals to the good within 10 minutes, four clear by the break and enjoying huge swathes of space in the centre of the pitch.
Torres, elegantly released by Meireles, even struck a post early on before Chelsea really took control. This time it was Meireles racing through, taking three touches before sweeping a 25-yarder past Laszlo Koteles: 1-0.
Genk were missing good players like Jeroen Simaeys and Nadson but nothing could excuse their lack of concentration. Chelsea came calling again, this time Lampard inviting Torres to run through the middle, before placing the ball calmly past Koteles: 2-0.
The Belgian fans, who clearly own a 'Tunes of the English Terraces’ songbook, were showing more defiance than their defence, taunting the locals with “2-0 — and you still won’t sing”.
Another goal soon arrived, though. Meireles was roaming upfield unchecked time and after time, on this occasion sprinting down the right and lifting in a cross that Torres headed neatly past Koteles: 3-0.
Chelsea finished the half with a flourish. When Daniel Pudil brought down Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda curled in a free-kick from the right that Branislav Ivanovic headed in: 4-0.
It was little surprise that Mario Been acted at the break. The Belgians’ coach removed the hapless Argentinian centre-half Abel Masuero, pulling Khaleem Hyland back into defence and stiffening midfield with Fabien Camus, a reminder that Genk really were the Outsiders.
Villas-Boas was making changes as well, taking off Lampard, putting Salomon Kalou on the left wing and redeploying Malouda in central midfield.
Just when it seemed that Chelsea might have declared, Kalou struck. Torres was denied at close range by Koteles but the ball fell to Kalou, who stroked the dropping ball home: 5-0.
As Genk fans launched into Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, Villas-Boas then sent on Alex. Such was Genk’s incompetence that Chelsea fans exhorted Alex to “shoot” even when the Brazilian was deep in his own half. He soon had a free-kick opportunity, only 35 yards out, which sped into a magenta mass.
As Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen (who beat Valencia 2-1) strengthened their case to progress from Group A, the final whistle must have sounded like a merciful release for Genk.
“They play at a higher level than we do,’’ said Been of Chelsea. “We gave them the goals too easily. We lost to a great opponent. I’m happy to stick at 5-0, thank you.”
==========================
Mirror:
Chelsea 5-0 Genk - Torres at the double as Blues cruise to victory
By Martin Lipton
Not quite Barcelona. Not yet anyway and Andre Villas-Boas will not be fooled into believing it will always be this easy.
But 24 hours after telling his men they have to surpass the Catalan pass masters if they are to finally conquer the biggest peak of all, the new man on the Bridge had real reasons to smile last night.
A glittering demonstration of what Fernando Torres is capable of in his pomp, total dominance and a record home Champions League win were just part of it as Chelsea sent out a genuine message of intent.
All of that with half of the big guns ahead of tougher tests to come yet still playing with a swagger and style that suggested Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini have more than just each other to worry about on the domestic scene as well.
Torres had waited two and a half years for a Champions League goal, his last in the competition coming AGAINST Chelsea for Liverpool at Anfield in April 2009.
That logjam was broken in devastating fashion as the Spaniard, even without Juan Mata to feed him, grabbed a brace that could easily have been doubled or better, arguably benefiting from his enforced break through that three-game ban for his Swansea red card.
Further goals from Raul Meireles, Branislav Ivanovic and substitute Salomon Kalou only served to reinforce Chelsea's superiority, although perhaps the biggest long-term plus was the poise, balance and intelligence demonstrated by holding midfielder Oriol Romeu, suggesting he is, as billed, the next Sergio Busquets.
Admittedly this was the sort of game that made a mockery of UEFA President Michel Platini's decision to open up the Champions League to new clubs.
The injury-strapped Belgian minnows were hopeless almost beyond description, the only impression they made on the evening coming from their lurid magenta shirts.
But this was about what Chelsea did to them, a defenestration that was almost scientific in its clinical precision, further evidence of the changes Villas-Boas is making.
At times, even this season, Chelsea have been turgid in their transition, too slow to get the ball forward, lacking real penetration.
Yet last night, with Mata and Daniel Sturridge watching from the bench, Didier Drogba and skipper John Terry not even getting changed, Chelsea played with Genk like a cat toying with a lame mouse.
Villas-Boas knows he has to deliver not just an attractive Chelsea, but a winning one as well. Roman Abramovich will not settle for anything less.
The Russian, though, has waited nine months to see Fernando Torres look like a £50million player in the Champions League. Finally, on Wednesday night, he did.
Perceptive movement and inter-passing proved, beyond doubt, that Torres was on the same wavelength as his colleagues - including stand-in skipper Frank Lampard - with the goals duly arriving as Genk were cut to ribbons.
Torres, fed by Meireles' delightful chip, should have put them in front with their first attack, instead rolling the ball against the post, but before the half-hour Chelsea were already three to the good, with the Spaniard having two.
It was Meireles, though, who put Chelsea on their way. No Genk players were within hailing distance as he received from Ashley Cole 30 yards out, took two touches and then found the bottom corner.
Enter Torres. The first after swift passing between Romeu, operating deep but always available, and Lampard gave him the chance to pick his spot from the edge of the box, the second a glorious header from Meireles' right-wing cross.
Further chances were created, almost at will, before Ivanovic soared to power home Florent Malouda's inswinging free-kick just before the interval and while Chelsea understandably took their foot of the gas, they still looked for more.
Malouda, who missed a sitter before the interval, squandered another chance after it, Lampard was denied a stone-wall penalty and for a while Chelsea were taking turns to test keeper Laszlo Koteles' reactions from distance.
Eventually, inevitably, the fifth did come, although Torres missed out on his hat-trick.
Jose Bosingwa, barely in his own half all night, scampered forward to deliver into the danger-zone and while Koteles did brilliant to thwart Torres, Kalou was handily in the right place to thrash home.
Barcelona might not be quaking in their boots. This, though, was another significant step forwards.
Slowly, surely, remorselessly, Chelsea are clicking into gear. Not there, but on the way.
***
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Bosingwa 7 (Alex, 78, 6), Ivanovic 7, Luiz 5, Cole 7 (Ferreira, 46, 6); Raul Meireles 8, Romeu 9, Lampard 7 (Kalou 68, 6); Anelka 7, Torres 9, Malouda 6
Genk (4-2-3-1): Koteles 5; Ngongca 6, Masuero 3 (Camus, 46, 5), Tozser 5, Pudil 5; Hyland 5, Vanden Borre 5; Buffel 6, Vossen 5 (Nwanganga, 81, 5), De Bruyne 6; Barda 5 (Ndabashinze, 72, 5)
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (Russia)
HERO: Torres - great movement, great finishing. Suspensions are good for him
VILLAIN: Maseuro - Genk centre-half was absolutely awful
==========================
Sun:
By CHARLIE WYETT
FOR once, Fernando Torres scored without making a complete fool of himself.
The Spaniard is finally beginning to make his mark for Chelsea.
And unlike his previous two goalscoring performances for the club, Torres left the pitch without looking red-faced.
The same could not be said for Genk, who played in a ridiculous pink kit — the only thing more shocking was their defending.
Torres' shame goes back to scoring at Manchester United but only being remembered for his Ronny Rosenthal moment.
Six days later, he struck in a 4-1 win over Swansea but was then red-carded for a two-footed lunge — and has yet to complete that domestic ban.
Yet, last night, the ex-Liverpool striker improved on his disastrous goals-to-games ratio for Chelsea with a fine first-half brace.
They were sandwiched by Raul Meireles' first for the Stamford Bridge outfit and Branislav Ivanovic's first of the season.
Torres' opening strike was his first Champions League goal for 875 minutes, dating back to Liverpool's Euro tie at home to the Londoners in April 2009.
Ironic, then, that his second would come just 16 minutes later.
Chelsea treated the second half as a training session and you could hardly blame them ahead of Sunday's derby with QPR.
Torres could have had three while sub Salomon Kalou grabbed the fifth in a one-sided affair.
John Terry and Didier Drogba were rested, with the Ivory Coast striker understood to be extremely unimpressed with manager Andre Villas-Boas' decision.
But Villas-Boas had clearly scouted this shambolic lot and knew he could have played without a keeper and still won.
Against an outfit struggling in their domestic league, you would have expected Chelsea to totally dominate and they did.
This was a night of firsts and not just for Torres, Meireles and Ivanovic because no team anywhere near as bad as this mob has played here at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League.
A decent League One side would have beaten them and, within just a few minutes, the Chelsea crowd knew they were going to see a hatful.
Meireles created a seventh-minute chance for Torres to flick the ball on to a post.
But less than 60 seconds later, it was Meireles, the £12million signing from Liverpool, who grabbed his first goal for Chelsea.
The Portuguese star was given the freedom of the Bridge as he strode forward before whipping in a shot from 25 yards.
Genk's boisterous travelling fans were not shy in coming forward, though, and soon after responded in perfect English: "1-0 up, and you still don't sing."
Yet, three minutes later, Chelsea were 2-0 up. The Belgians were pulled apart with Frank Lampard playing in Torres to bury the ball from 15 yards.
Fingers were once again pointing at hopeless Genk centre-back Abel Masuero and visiting coach Mario Been should have substituted him immediately.
Hardly surprisingly Torres was enjoying himself — and there's few times you have been able to say that since he left Merseyside.
We had not even reached the half-hour when Torres scored his second with a powerful header from a fine Meireles cross. While Genk had managed a couple of half-chances this was already becoming embarrassing.
The visitors attempted to defend in numbers but were simply not very good and conceded a fourth three minutes before the break as Florent Malouda's free-kick was boomed home by Ivanovic.
With England full-back Ashley Cole also subbed at the break, you knew that Villas-Boas no longer had his mind on the actual match but was focused on the Premier League.
Malouda could have scored a fifth goal but wasted the chance while Lampard was tripped and a penalty should have been given.
Torres was then denied his hat-trick by a smart save by Laszlo Koteles as he met the ball at the near post on 73 minutes.
But the ball fell straight to sub Kalou to score after just a couple of minutes on the pitch.
This was Chelsea's biggest ever home Champions League win.
While, admittedly, it may not live long in the memory, maybe things are at last starting to change for Torres.
=========================
Mail:
Chelsea 5 Genk 0: Torres at the double as Blues cruise past hapless Belgians
By LAURA WILLIAMSON
Two goals from Fernando Torres helped Chelsea to their biggest ever Champions League home win as they crushed Genk.
Quietly but assuredly this Chelsea side are becoming the fluent, attacking unit manager Andre Villas-Boas desires. Run-outs against opposition as limited as these Belgian visitors only help, of course.
Raul Meireles opened the scoring in the eighth minute and Chelsea were 4-0 up by half-time as Torres's first brace for the club and a Branislav Ivanovic header exposed Genk's defensive frailties.
Torres came perilously close to a hat-trick, only to be denied by goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles after 72 minutes, allowing substitute Salomon Kalou to tap in Chelsea's fifth goal.
The planned boycott by fans - a protest against increased ticket prices for Champions League group games - did not materialise, either, with a respectable 38,518 present at Stamford Bridge. All in all, it was a very satisfactory late birthday present for Villas-Boas, who turned 34 on Monday.
The Chelsea boss even kept his usual touchline histrionics to a minimum, such was his side's superiority. Yet still he insisted on praising the collective rather than individual performances, even if he did concede Torres had 'responded pretty well'.
The Spaniard had not played for Chelsea for three weeks after picking up a three-match ban for a straight red card against Swansea last month.
But Villas-Boas had insisted the £50million striker 'looked good' in training and 62 minutes for his country was enough to keep him match fit.
With Torres ineligible for this weekend's west London derby at Queens Park Rangers, Didier Drogba was not even named in Villas-Boas's 18-man squad.
The Ivory Coast forward was less than impressed with the decision, but Sunday's Premier League clash gives Chelsea the opportunity to close the gap to the Manchester clubs, who meet on the same afternoon.
In Drogba's absence, Torres recovered from an unfortunate early miss - when he hit a post after an ungainly first touch - to score his first Champions League goal for Chelsea. Frank Lampard eased a pass through Genk's hapless defence and Torres pounced with a right - foot shot after 11 minutes.
The excellent Raul Meireles had opened Chelsea's account with a 25-yard right-foot shot in the eighth minute, tucking the ball away after Genk inexplicably allowed him to receive the ball and shoot at will.
Then came hints of the Torres of old, as he darted in front of Daniel Tozser to create that vital yard of space before scoring his second. Another neat run and a beautifully taken header from a Meireles cross gave Chelsea a 3-0 lead.
Torres soon turned provider, drifting wide to cross for Lampard with the outside of his right boot, only for the midfielder to miss with a header. The 3,000 Genk fans serenaded Torres with You'll Never Walk Alone but a hat-trick was just beyond him.
Koteles parried his close-range effort from a Jose Bosingwa cross and Kalou pounced to score on 72 minutes. With Oriel Romeu sitting deeper in Chelsea's midfield three and spraying the ball left and right, Lampard had more licence to get forward.
A quicker transition between defence and attack has been a hallmark of Chelsea's development in recent weeks and it was a ploy they used effectively again, albeit with Juan Mata named only on the bench.
John Terry was another rested for this Group E match - for the second European home game in succession - and it was left to David Luiz to partner Branislav Ivanovic in the centre of defence.
Genk offered precious little, with Chelsea target Kevin De Bruyne showing only rare glimpses of the 'exceptional technical ability' Villas-Boas had praised so highly.
Luiz still looked far from comfortable, being booked for mistiming one attempted interception. Genk were themselves missing three central defenders - Brazilian Nadson, Germany Under 21 Torben Joneleit and Belgium's Jeroen Simaeys - and were duly punished.
Abel Masuero, in particular, must have wished he had not passed the fitness test that allowed him to play in a cerise pink kit as shocking as his side's defending.
The Argentinian was hauled off at half-time after stumbling as Ivanovic rose to head Florent Malouda's free-kick past Koteles in the 43rd minute. Villas-Boas felt comfortable enough to replace Ashley Cole at half-time and Chelsea allowed Genk more possession, but still threatened on the break.
Malouda went close before Fabien Camus appeared to trip Lampard in the box in the 59th minute. Referee Aleksei Nikolaev thought not. Bosingwa tried his luck from distance, then set up Chelsea's fifth.
Kalou saw a downward header saved by Koteles before Malouda put a Paulo Ferreira cross over the bar.
Genk boss Mario Been said: 'It's not a shame to lose because 24 teams lost here (in the Champions League) before us. We lost to a great team. I'm happy it stuck to 5-0. Chelsea have possibilities to win this tournament.'
MATCH FACTS
Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa (Alex 78), Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole (Ferreira 46), Romeu, Lampard (Kalou 68), Meireles, Anelka, Torres, Malouda.
Subs not used: Turnbull, Mata, Mikel, Sturridge.
Booked: Luiz.
Goals: Meireles (8), Torres (11, 27), Ivanovic (42), Kalou (72).
Genk: Koteles, Ngcongca, Masuero (Camus 46) , Tozser, Pudil, Buffel, Vanden Borre, Hyland, De Bruyne, Vossen (Nwanganga 81),Barda (Dugarry 70).
Subs not used: Sandomierski, Durwael, Ogunjimi, Limbombe.
Booked: Hyland, Pudil.
Attendance: 38,518
Referee: Alexei Nikolaev (Russia).
========================
Star:
CHELSEA 5 GENK 0: DOUBLE FOR FERNANDO TORRES IS REAL TONIC
Fernando Torres replaced Drogba and David Luiz came in for Terry
By Adrian Kajumba
FERNANDO TORRES helped Andre Villas-Boas celebrate his birthday with a Champions League cakewalk last night.
The Blues boss was 34 on Monday and received the present he wanted most from his players – three Champions League points.
Chelsea took another step towards the knockout stages with an easy win as they equalled their biggest Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge last night.
Recalled Torres led the destruction with two first-half goals as he opened his Champions League account for Chelsea and ended his drought in the competition.
It was a landmark night for Raul Meireles too, who kick-started the Chelsea goal spree with his first for the club before Branislav Ivanovic and Salomon Kalou got in on the act.
Victory kept Chelsea at the top of Group E and on course for the knockout stages of the competition owner Roman Abramovich wants to win more than any other.
But as impressive and ruthless as Chelsea were, Genk were shocking.
Villas-Boas, who is desperate to topple European champions Barcelona, is unlikely to read too much into last night’s battering of the Belgians.
But it was another significant night in the resurgence of Torres, who has scored four goals in his last three games.
The Spaniard was back in the side after missing the Blues’ last two games due to a domestic ban after being sent off against Swansea last month.
That came at the worst possible time for Torres, who was finally starting to show signs he was returning to his old self and ready to justify his £50m price tag.
He had scored in back-to-back games for the first time as a Blue before he saw red.
Such is Torres’ luck that it hardly looked like he was missed as Chelsea went on to score eight goals in two games while he sat in the stands kicking his heels.
But he returned last night and looked as sharp as he has done in a Blue shirt, scoring twice and setting up a host of chances for his team-mates.
Villas-Boas made six changes from the weekend win over Everton, leaving John Terry and Didier Drogba out of his squad altogether.
Torres replaced Drogba and David Luiz came in for Terry.
In truth, even a rusty Torres would have had a field day against Genk, whose defence played like the strangers they were.
Genk boss Mario Been was missing three of his first-choice defenders and included one, Abel Masuero, who only made his competitive debut at the weekend.
The Blues took full advantage against a Genk backline that was all at sea right from the kick off.
They almost conceded a comical own goal in the third minute.
And the visitors had another let-off when their keeper Laszlo Koteles tipped an early Torres chance on to the post.
But the floodgates opened in the eighth minute. Florent Malouda burst down the left and squared the ball for Meireles who was given all the time in the world to fire home from 25 yards.
It got even better for Chelsea three minutes later.
This time it was Frank Lampard who was given the freedom of Stamford Bridge.
He looked up and slotted in Torres to fire in his first of the night and first in the Champions League since he struck for Liverpool in April 2009.
Torres made it 3-0 in the 28th minute when he superbly headed in Meireles’ inch-perfect right wing cross past Koteles.
And it was 4-0 when Ivanovic powered a thumping header from Malouda’s free-kick into the bottom corner of the net three minutes before the break.
The one-way traffic continued in the second half and it was Chelsea substitute Kalou who made it 5-0.
The last time Kalou came off the bench for Chelsea in the Champions League his handball led to a penalty from which Valencia scored, costing his side two points.
But he made amends converting the rebound from close range after Torres’ header from Jose Bosingwa’s cross was saved.
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Express:
CHELSEA 5 FC GENK 0: DOUBLE PAY-BACK TIME FOR TORRES
By Tony Banks
IF Fernando Torres has prayed for the kind of opposition to turn up to enable him to banish his Chelsea demons, Genk must have been the ideal answer.
Torres scored twice in a game for the first time for Chelsea as they romped to the easiest of Champions League victories.
Genk certainly helped out the £50?million Spaniard and now he has scored four goals in three games.
Misery over?
There was never likely to be much misery anywhere last night other than in Genk’s depleted, outclassed ranks.
Torres’s double was backed up by goals from Raul Meireles, Branislav Ivanovic and Salomon Kalou as Andre Villas-Boas’s side moved inexorably towards the last 16.
The surprise of the night was it was only five – it could easily have been double figures.
Villas-Boas left out skipper John Terry and striker Didier Drogba, with an eye on Sunday’s clash at QPR.
Chelsea’s manager had pledged to rotate his squad during the group stages and he has been as good as his word. Back-to-back games against Genk offered his team the chance to cement a place in the next round.
The Belgians had lost three of their best players in the summer, one of them talented goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, sold to Chelsea.
New coach Mario Been, who only took over in August, also had his two first-choice centre-backs out injured. It was all set up for a routine Chelsea win. The main point of interest seemed to be the size of the crowd, with some Chelsea fans staging a boycott due to ticket prices. In the end the Bridge was more or less full.
Genk, in their bubblegum-coloured kit, went pop from the off. Torres broke through on to Meireles’s pass, but somehow managed to hit the post from eight yards.
No matter. A minute later Meireles was given far too much room 25 yards out and arrowed his shot into the bottom corner.
Three minutes after that Torres made amends for his miss as he picked up Frank Lampard’s pass and slid his shot home. It was his first Champions League goal since April 2009 – which was against Chelsea.
Florent Malouda then missed a sitter and Torres missed by an inch from an angle as Genk were torn apart.
Goal number three came when Meireles crossed from the right, and Torres glanced in his header. If ever there was a night for him to fill his boots, this was it.
The fourth came three minutes before the break as Malouda swung in a free-kick from the right and the marking was non-existent as Ivanovic climbed to nod home.
Genk were utterly woeful. Kevin De Bruyne, the young winger who came close to a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer only for an £8m switch to collapse, had little or no chance to show what all the fuss was about.
Been had been on the wrong of a 10-0 defeat while in charge of Feyenoord last year, so he knew what this kind of game feels like. Torres was an inch wide with another shot, and then Malouda, clean through, forced a good save out of overworked goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles.
The wonder was how such a mis-match could occur in a competition like the Champions League.
To be fair to Genk, a game against last year’s team might have produced a better contest.
Chelsea eased off the gas in the second half, the job largely done. But still they moved among the Genk rearguard at will.
Goal number five arrived after 73 minutes as Jose Bosingwa crossed from the right. Koteles somehow kept out Torres’s close-range volley for a hat-trick, but substitute Kalou stabbed in the rebound.
Villas-Boas had said on the eve of the game that before his team could call themselves a good side in Europe, they would have to reach the standards that Barcelona have set.
They did tear their opponents apart Barca-style last night – but then it was only Genk.
Chelsea (4-2-1-3): Cech; Bosingwa (Alex 78), Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole (Ferreira 46); Romeu, Meireles; Lampard (Kalou 68); Anelka, Torres, Malouda. Booked: Luiz. Goals: Meireles 8, Torres 11, 27, Ivanovic 42, Kalou 73.
Genk (4-4-2): Koteles; Ngongca, Masuero (Camas 46), Tozser, Pudil; Hyland, Vanden Borre, Buffel, Vossen (Nwanganga 81); De Bruyne, Barda (Dugary 70). Booked: Hyland, Pudil.
Referee: A Nikolaev (Russia).
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