stoke city 2 0

Independent:

Malouda swift to break Stoke's stranglehold
Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0

By Mark Fleming at Stamford Bridge

Florent Malouda describes the carefree fluency Chelsea have displayed in their opening Premier League games as feeling "like I was back in my garden". And well he might, for things are certainly looking rosy for Malouda and the rest of the defending champions. Stoke City provided stiffer opposition than either West Bromwich Albion or Wigan had managed on the previous two weekends but the champions were unruffled.
Malouda and Didier Drogba both scored to take their personal tallies to four goals apiece this season, while Chelsea's collective record reads played three, won three, scored 14, conceded 0.
After the game Stoke's manager, Tony Pulis, seemed more concerned with Chelsea's London neighbours Arsenal, attacking their manager, Arsène Wenger, over his suggestion that Ryan Shawcross kicked Tottenham's goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes last week. "It was totally and utterly out of order," Pulis said. "It is not what you expect from a person of Wenger's esteem. The club will deal with it in the right and proper manner. We have written to the Football Association, the Premier League and to Arsenal. If you say he said it to sidetrack and influence the referee, then I would agree with you."
Stoke made life as difficult as they could for Chelsea, squeezing the play into a zone that ran for 20 yards from the edge of their penalty area. Every Stoke outfield player apart from Kenwyne Jones spent most of the game in that confined area, content to let Chelsea pass the ball about just as long as they did not get too close to goal.
However, Chelsea's newly found ability to play off the cuff, to improvise and create the unexpected, was the decisive factor. Malouda broke the Stoke resistance with a simple goal, cutting through the visitors' defence with sudden and unexpected ease.
The improvisation came from John Terry who, picking up a loose ball on the halfway line, ran at the back- pedalling Stoke defence before rolling the ideal ball into the path of Malouda's run. The Frenchman finished with the confidence you might expect from a player who has now scored four goals from three games.
Chelsea went in at half-time 1-0 up, but it could so easily have been more. Frank Lampard was guilty of missing a penalty when Malouda was fouled by Shawcross, placing his kick far too close to Stoke's goalkeeper, Thomas Sorensen, who saved low to his left.
It was Lampard's third successive penalty miss, after failed attempts from 12 yards against Portsmouth in the FA Cup final and for England in a pre-World Cup friendly against Japan. Maybe it is time for the midfielder to be relieved of this responsibility, for both club and country.
Chelsea also hit the bar when Ashley Cole met Drogba's cross with an athletic volley.
But Stoke do the simple things well, and after an hour their dogged resistance seemed to have taken the edge off Chelsea's verve and invention. Sensing a surprise point could be a possibility, Stoke poked their noses out of their own half and immediately started to cause problems. Matthew Etherington's shot was charged down by Drogba, and then the substitute Glenn Whelan thundered a wonderful effort from 30 yards that beat Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal but smacked squarely against the crossbar.
With the visitors starting to push forward, space opened up for Chelsea, who went further ahead with a goal on the break. Drogba's long ball found Nicolas Anelka, who was brought down by Sorensen for Chelsea's second penaltyof the game. Lampard had already been replaced by Salomon Kalou, so Drogba took responsibility and scored with little fuss.
Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea's manager, was not entirely happy, however. "It was not our best performance, we didn't have a high tempo," he said.

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Observer:

Didier Drogba on the spot in comfortable win for Chelsea over Stoke
Chelsea 2 Malouda 32, Drogba (pen) 77 Stoke City 0
Conrad Leach at Stamford Bridge


When Chelsea have got over the shock and shame of not winning 6-0 – as they had done in their first two games of this season – they will realise the value of this rather more subdued scoreline. As they have already proved this campaign, creating chances is not a problem for Carlo Ancelotti's side, but sometimes the putts don't drop. If they had, then they might even have equalled the 7-0 thrashing they doled out to Stoke City on this ground in April. After all, when Ashley Cole could have scored twice, you know there are goals to be had.
Instead it was two of the regulars on the scoresheet, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, who ensured Chelsea go into the international break top of the nascent Premier League table.
Having hammered West Brom and Wigan on the first two weekends, Ancelotti could hardly have asked the fixture computer for a more favourable third game than Stoke, at home, if he had programmed it himself. As it was, until Drogba, from the penalty spot, scored the Blues' second goal, 14 minutes from time, the league champions risked embarrassment.
Ancelotti said: "Today was not our best but the result was important. There was a lot of difficulty as we didn't have a high tempo. I'm happy because we won, didn't concede a goal, and maintained [their place on the] top of the table. In the first half it was better and we could have scored more than one goal. The second half was more difficult."
That point was made clear by Glenn Whelan after 66 minutes. The Stoke substitute scored a winning goal at Spurs last season, and this time he almost made a difference again. The Irish midfielder tried his luck from 35 yards out but saw his effort rebound off Petr Cech's bar. And with that went Stoke's hopes of their first point of the season, although Tony Pulis, their manager, felt their performances so far have merited some reward.
"We had our moments but overall Chelsea were the better team," Pulis said. "They have some great players and had numerous opportunities but I give credit to our lads for the work they put in."
They might have prevented a third consecutive defeat if either of their chances inside the first 10 minutes had gone in, the first when Dean Whitehead tested Cech from 18 yards, the second when Jonathan Walters saw his lob clear Cech but also the crossbar.
By that time, Cole had already hooked his first chance wide, and then the hosts won a penalty when Malouda was brought down by Ryan Shawcross. However, Thomas Sorensen guessed correctly and dived low to his left to save Frank Lampard's spot-kick, the third consecutive penalty the England midfielder has missed for club and country.
It was a tame effort and could be explained by the fact he now needs groin surgery, which Ancelotti revealed afterwards will happen in midweek. It will rule him out of both of England's Euro 2012 qualifiers in the next 10 days.
But with Chelsea in their current form, they have plenty of goalscoring options and Malouda is one of them, although the source was unusual, with John Terry supplying the pass on the counterattack after 32 minutes. The French winger's fourth goal of the season was smartly taken after the Chelsea captain picked him out in the penalty area.
If Cole's volley a minute later had gone in instead of hitting the crossbar, Stoke might have wilted but they were able to cling on until Chelsea were awarded their second penalty of the day. Drogba picked out Nicolas Anelka with a long pass but Sorensen, rushing to the edge of his area, fouled the Frenchman. With Lampard off the pitch, Drobga reminded his team-mate what to do from 12 yards.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

KAREN CHILDS, Observer reader
I always thought Stoke were going to be a tough, feisty team to play, and we didn't have a great start with Lampard having a penalty saved but we were fine – we really look like we're playing as a team. Stoke played well in parts and it was the toughest game we've had so far but it was still fairly comfortable and could have been 4-0. Essien was brilliant and Mikel is blossoming; he used to be a loose cannon under pressure but he looks much more confident and composed now. Cole had a great game and could have scored twice. Ramires came on with only nine minutes left so it was difficult to gauge him on that.

The fan's player ratings Cech 7; Ferreira 6, Alex 8, Terry 7, Cole 8; Essien 8 (Ramires 84 n/a), Mikel 9, Lampard 6 (Kalou 72 6); Anelka 7 (Sturridge 81 7), Drogba 8, Malouda 7

RICHARD MURPHY, Author, Stoke City On This Day

This trip to Stamford Bridge was so much better than the last one! We played quite well and certainly didn't disgrace ourselves but it never really looked like we would. They carved us open on occasions, but they do that to everybody. For long parts of the second half we looked like we could get something, and had one cleared off the line so it was encouraging. It's been a bizarre start to the season, having no points, but there are worse teams than us and we're stronger than last year. We're playing all right but we need a bit of luck – if we perform like we did in the second half and get a few more players, we'll be OK.

The fan's player ratings Sorensen 8; Wilkinson 6 (Whelan 51 7), Huth 7, Shawcross 6, Faye 7, Collins 7; Walters 8, Whitehead 6; Delap 7 (Pugh 84 n/a), Etherington 8; Jones 8 (Fuller 68 7)

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Mail:


Chelsea 2 Stoke 0:
No goal-fest but Blues still prove they're different class as Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba seal win

By Rob Draper

It says something about the non-competitive balance of the Premier League when a 2-0 defeat can be regarded as something of a victory.
For Stoke capitulated to Chelsea with little more than token resistance, have now lost all three of their opening games and, more worryingly, have yet to show the mettle that has sustained their hard-earned Premier League status for the past two years.
Yet when your opponents have scored 20 goals in their previous three League games, when your last encounter with them resulted in a seven-goal deficit, then keeping the tally down to two might register as an achievement.
The Chelsea goalscoring juggernaut had at last been halted, even if their march on to successive victories goes on unabated. Chelsea cruised through much of this match without ever quite hitting their highest gears.
They survived some brief early scares, notably a decent strike from Jonathan Walters with the outside of his foot, to hit their stride and eventually win with some comfort, though not in an entirely satisfactory manner, according to their manager.
‘I don’t think it was our best performance today,’ conceded Carlo Ancelotti.
‘The result was important but there were a lot of difficulties in the game; we didn’t have a high tempo.
'But I’m happy because we won, because we didn’t concede and because we stay top of the table.’ His assessment was correct. At times Chelsea were utterly dominant.
'When Didier Drogba spent a lengthy spell off the pitch receiving treatment in the first half, Stoke could still barely get a touch of the ball. Yet in the second half especially, Chelsea slackened off and Stoke might have even grabbed an unlikely point.
'It would have been an extremely lucky point, as Stoke boss Tony Pulis conceded. ‘We worked our socks off and had our moments,’ he said, ‘but Chelsea had a lot more moments than us.
'They have great players and overall they were the better team.’
Indeed, in place of the expected goal rush was a succession of near misses, like Drogba’s magnificent free-kick from 45 yards, which Thomas Sorensen did well to punch away, such was its force.It took Chelsea 32 minutes to break down Stoke, John Terry robbing a dithering Kenwyne Jones before advancing elegantly upfield and delivering as fine a through-ball as you could imagine for Florent Malouda.
The Frenchman finished in style, thumping past Sorensen.That at least remedied the earlier setback, when Malouda was felled by Ryan Shawcross in the penalty area and Frank Lampard’s spot-kick was well saved.For Lampard, it completed an unfortunate hat-trick of missed penalties, following his failure to convert at the FA Cup final and England’s summer friendly against Japan.
He was substituted on 71 minutes and faces at least two weeks out for surgery on his groin. Ashley Cole enjoyed a better afternoon and almost ended the goal of the season competition before August was out with an exquisite volley which crashed off the bar on 37 minutes.
Drogba should have extended the lead on 50 minutes with a close-range header and by then, with each successive miss, came the astonishing thought Chelsea might concede points.From a predictable Rory Delap throw and a Peter Cech punch on 52 minutes, Matthew Etherington fashioned a chance from the edge of the area which was hacked off the line.
Stoke’s best chance, though, was a beautifully-stuck Glenn Whelan shot from 25 yards on 66 minutes, which beat Cech and came back off the bar. With the game slipping away, Chelsea were presented with the opportunity to secure victory.Drogba played in Anelka, whose acceleration unnerved Sorensen, who came charging from his line and felled him unceremoniously inside the penalty.
The angle of Anelka’s run away from goal prevented a red card but also indicated the unnecessary nature of the challenge. With Lampard substituted, Drogba took on the penalty-taking duties and duly delivered the second goal.
The contest was over, so there was time to introduce the summer’s signature signing Ramires for a five-minute run-out. Another substitute, Saloman Kalou, might have added a third in the final minute.
It was scarcely necessary. Whether scoring six or two, Chelsea are a class apart from most teams in this league.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0
By Jonathan Liew


Just the two for Chelsea this week, then, but to a home contingent reared on gourmet cuisine, this win was nothing more than a good square meal.
It is fair to say that three games in, the champions are yet to be truly tested. An industrious but guileless Stoke City were ill-equipped for the job, and Chelsea were even able to afford a missed penalty on their way to victory.
It was a predictably maddening afternoon for the visitors, who required a small dose of opportunism and a large slice of luck if they were to storm Stamford Bridge.
But within just 10 minutes, they had been handed the latter. Ryan Shawcross clumsily felled Florent Malouda as he bore down on goal and referee Martin Atkinson awarded a penalty kick.
Lampard’s penalty, though, was meagre, Thomas Sorensen having little trouble dropping to his left and smothering it.
Unbowed, Chelsea strengthened as the half wore on, working the channels and menacingly stroking the ball around deep inside Stoke territory.
A Didier Drogba free-kick stung the palms of Sorensen, Michael Essien rose heroically to meet a Malouda corner but headed wide, and Ashley Cole brilliantly smacked a volley against the bar as Drogba’s cross looped over his left shoulder.
Stoke’s chances were few, but crucially, they were missed. Dean Whitehead’s brutal low shot was too fiery for Petr Cech to hold at the first time of asking, while Jon Walters almost managed to loop the ball over Cech from Matthew Etherington’s cross.
But for the most part, they were under siege. Deeper and deeper Stoke retreated, content to play an aerial game, thwarting Chelsea’s attempts to use the overlap.
So Chelsea simply went straight through the middle. John Terry, given licence to roam, shoved the ball in between the two centre-backs.
Malouda, angling his run, lifted the ball over Sorensen to score his fourth goal of the season. Lampard, aware that Malouda had spared his blushes, was pointedly the first to congratulate him.
After the break the hosts redoubled their efforts. Drogba squandered a glorious opportunity to score a second when he inexplicably headed straight at Sorensen from six yards.
But while the score was only 1-0, Chelsea were still in a battle, and were almost punished by Jon Walters, whose sweet shot from 25 yards rattled the crossbar and landed just in front of the goal line.
Startled, Chelsea decided to make the game safe. A diagonal ball from Drogba released Nicolas Anelka, who crucially got his touch in a split second before Sorensen bundled him over.
A second penalty was the result - although Sorensen escaped punishment - and a deeply brooding Drogba buried it, and with it Stoke.
The home fans were treated to the sight of new £18 million midfielder Ramires, who was allowed a late jog, but on this evidence the last thing this Chelsea side needs is improvement.

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Star:

CHELSEA'S FLORENT MALOUDA ON TARGET BUT FRANK LAMPARD FAILS TO LIGHT UP
By Tony Stenson
Chelsea 2 Stoke 0

Florent Malouda struck again as Chelsea showed they are also prepared to roll up their sleeves and toil for victory.
They even overcame another Frank Lampard penalty howler to strengthen their belief they can gain back-to-back Premier League titles.
Dider Drogba showed later on he should automatically be their No.1 spot-kick choice by blasting in their second goal.
Last season Chelsea scored for fun against Stoke, banging seven past them. There was no turkey shoot this time but it should have been, as Chelsea dominated through pure graft as well as another show of Malouda magic, Drogba power-play and Michael Essien, who just edged John Obi Mikel for man of the match.
Chelsea even shrugged off Greg Whelan’s 25-yard 66th-minute screamer that smacked their bar and bounced out.
Blue boss Carlo Ancelotti said: “I was happy because we won but we didn’t have a good, high tempo. It was not our best game.
“The tempo was not continuous but we didn’t concede. We kept another clean sheet and stayed top of the table.
“We worked very hard this week. The players have had a strong week.”
Lampard, who had not missed a spot-kick in four years, has now missed four in succession. He was substituted later and you wonder if the star is worn out by his England exertions and his current high-profile relationship.
Chelsea had rattled in 12 goals in two games so far this season, continuing the form that won the Double.
Stoke, who last won at Stamford Bridge in the league in 1974, were fighting to avoid a third successive defeat this term.
Scene set for another hammering? It looked that way when Ryan Shawcross brought down the flying Malouda in the 10th minute.
And who better to take the penalties at Stamford Bridge? Yet A-List star Lampard fluffed his lines yet again. Stoke’s in-your-face style upsets many but what they do has to be admired.
Not for them an open chequebook, just a decent manager putting together a side which refuses to lie down when faced with football’s Golden Ones.
Stoke don’t apologise for being what they are – they just throw down the gauntlet and say “beat us – or suffer”.
But time has moved on from when their main menace is a throw-in. Opponents can now can easily handle the Potters’ one-trick pony style. And Chelsea tried every trick in the book themselves.
They were the club in form, spraying the ball wide, trying to hit in-form strikers. There was only one side in it. Yet Stoke stayed firm until John Terry unlocked the door.
The England man intercepted a 32nd-minute pass intended for Kenwyne Jones, who seconds earlier had complained of an injury without being tackled.
The Chelsea skipper arrowed a wonder pass for Malouda to score.
A minute later, Ashley Cole scooped a shot onto the bar from Drogba’s pass as the London club continued to raise the stakes.
Chelsea were in remorseless mode now, attack after attack, and Thomas Sorensen produced a super save to deny Drogba in the 50th minute, following Nicolas Anelka’s cross.
Obi Mikel and Essien bossed the midfi eld. They stood tall together, winning most of the ball and nudging probing passes into Stoke’s defence.
Between them they produced a pure masterclass in total midfi eld quality, domination and skill.
Chelsea finally brought Stoke to their knees when Sorensen brought down Anelka in the 75th minute and Drogba blasted home the hottest of spot-kicks.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis was pleased with his team’s work-rate but accepted his side had been second best.
He said: “We had our moments but overall Chelsea were the better team.
“They have some great players and had numerous opportunities but I give credit to our lads for the work that they put in.”

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NOTW:

LAMPS IN SPOT OF BOTHER FOR SWASHBUCKLING BLUES
Chelsea 2 Stoke 0
By Neil Ashton

FINALLY they hit the spot, classy and composed as they string together another title-winning sequence.
Chelsea's players are enjoying this, a familiar swagger about them as they target a fourth Premier League crown.
Stamford Bridge is smiling, one great big happy ship as they set sail for the season.
Then there's Frank Lampard, trudging towards the touchline when he was substituted in the second half, another missed penalty to mull over this weekend.
That's three in a row for Lamps - his Wembley woe in the FA Cup final followed by misses against Japan and now Stoke.
The doubts are creeping in, the jitters at the start of his run up and then a nervous shuffle before he is fully into his stride.
Thomas Sorensen read his mind yesterday, diving to his left and catching Lampard's cleanly-taken 10th-minute penalty.
The time before that it was Eiji Kawashima in Graz and back in May, he sent his spot-kick wide of Portsmouth keeper David James' post.
Lampard is usually so assured and is such an accomplished penalty-taker for club and country.
This is new territory for him, stopped from the penalty spot and then watching from the bench as Didier Drogba drilled a 77th-minute penalty beyond Sorensen.
To Lampard's credit, he celebrated the strike, sending a clenched-fist salute in Drogba's direction towards the end of this comfortable workout.
The England man will continue to be Chelsea's regular penalty-taker, still in the job after Carlo Ancelotti made it clear that Drogba was only deputising.
Chelsea hope Lampard will be back on September 11, recovering from a hernia operation in time for his favourite game of the season. West Ham away always raises Lampard's hackles and he is always guaranteed a hostile reception whenever he comes to town.
By then he will hope to be fully fit and playing his part in this team of entertainers.
The Blues are heading into that territory after another victory, coasting one moment and threatening to outclass Stoke the next.
Tony Pulis came prepared, throwing Kenwyne Jones up front on his own against Alex and John Terry. Good luck.
The kid barely got a kick, not helped by the fact Stoke's £8million record signing appeared reluctant to lift a leg for this new team-mates.
He was isolated but that is no excuse for his lack of enthusiasm.
Alex was excellent, Chelsea's best defender so far this season and Terry was not far behind.
They are impregnable at the back and have yet to concede a goal this season as this winning streak continues.
Boss Ancelotti is loving it, the smooth operator in his shades, nodding in approval in the direction of these blue shirts.
He looked the part but Pulis was funereal, head to toe in black after a bad week at the office. He's been rucking with Asmir Begovic these past few days, saving a bit for Arsene Wenger and then morose after this third league defeat.
This Stoke team is coming to the end of its natural shelf life, past their sell-by date as they enter their third season at the top.
With the exception of efforts from Glenn Whelan and Matthew Etherington, the Potters were struggling to compete.
Pulis requires an improvement. It is too soon for nerves and sleepless nights but not too soon to be on the slide.
At times this Chelsea team is toxic, with free-flowing moves between Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Drogba the highlight of another emphatic performance.
Malouda is in majestic form after being given the freedom to fly down either wing in a system that suits his silky touches.
He is edging out Drogba and Anelka as the team's top player, in the groove as Chelsea settle into a title-winning rhythm.
Those slalom runs are back, those neat turns past full-back that set up those teasing crosses for his team-mates.
He scored the first in the 32nd minute, timing his run to perfection as Terry surged through the centre of the pitch.
Malouda reacted, taking out Stoke's central-defensive pairing with his run and finishing with a neat right-foot strike.
These are special moments for Chelsea's players, at the peak of their powers as they set out on another 38-game slog.
The nucleus of players is in place and so, crucially, is the attitude and desire.
They are brushing teams aside with their blistering pace, their opponents unable to cope with their speed and precision.
There is no let up, always in search of goals and eager to protect Petr Cech between the posts.
Gareth Bale was the last player to beat Cech in the Premier League, scoring Tottenham's second goal in a surprise 2-1 defeat on April 17.
It will take something special to pierce this powerful unit and that was never likely to be Stoke.
Chelsea should have finished it at the start of the second half, with Drogba heading straight into the arms of Sorensen after connecting with Anelka.
They finally struck from the spot when Sorensen took out Anelka, sending the Chelsea striker sprawling inside the penalty box 13 minutes from time.
Drogba was decisive, drilling his effort beyond Stoke's keeper.
By then Lampard was on the bench, nursing his hernia after missing his chance from the spot.
The injury's nothing serious. It's just the penalty miss that will be giving him the most grief this week.

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Express:

CHELSEA’S CLASS ACT
CHELSEA 2, STOKE CITY 0
By Colin Mafham

YOU would think that being top of the league with a 100 per cent record and scoring 14 goals with none against would guarantee that Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti wore the biggest smile around Stamford Bridge last night.
But don’t you believe it.
Stoke’s Tony Pulis must surely have been grinning from ear to ear after seeing his side somehow escape the sort of 7-0 hammering they got when they were last here.
How Chelsea failed to notch up at least their third 6-0 success is something of a miracle.
On the day these two were worlds apart in terms of class. And while Ancelotti can dream of another double if Chelsea can keep this up Pulis must already be worrying what he has to do just to stay up.
The Potters boss has around 48 hours to strengthen the ranks – and he’ll need to.
On this showing £7million Kenwyne Jones looks well short of the finished article, something which was clearly illustrated on a day when he shared the pitch with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka
Stoke really must have been fearing the worst when Ryan Shawcross sent Ashley Cole toppling in the box after just 10 minutes.
No doubting it was a penalty. The only doubts were in Frank Lampard’s head.
Which is probably why Stoke’s Thomas Sorensen didn’t appear to have much trouble working out which way the Chelsea man was going to place the resultant spot kick. He saved it with some ease.
That was a real let-off for Stoke, but when Sorensen struggled to cope with a Didier Drogba special soon afterwards you got the distinct feeling that Chelsea’s prolific start to the season wasn’t going to end here.
And so, as they say, it came to pass.
Jones, who had already indicated to his bench that he wasn’t up for this particular fight, surrendered the ball tamely in Chelsea’s half … and Stoke paid a high price for it.
Chelsea swept to the other end, John Terry slipped a peach of a pass through to Florent Malouda and the ball was in the back of the net before Sorensen could say 1-0.
It should have been two shortly afterwards, but this time the bar saved Stoke when Cole’s header clattered it.
To say Stoke hadn’t been in this is an understatement. But somehow that single goal was all Chelsea had to show for 45 minutes of almost total domination.
How it stayed that way, God only knows.
Within four minutes of the restart Chelsea split Stoke open again but Drogba’s powerful header was straight at Sorensen and Stoke got it away.
Michael Essien, out for so long injured last season, orchestrated most of Chelsea’s forages, with assistance from Jon Obi Mikel.
But as long as it stayed at 1-0 Stoke were still in with a chance and they nearly made Chelsea pay.
Substitute Greg Whelan was given time and space to let fly from 30 yards and with Cech beaten it was left to the crossbar to spare Chelsea’s blushes.
But any lingering hopes Stoke might have harboured ended on 76 minutes when Drogba hammered home Chelsea’s second from the spot after Sorensen had brought Anelka down in the box.


CHELSEA: Cech; Ferreira, Alex, Terry, Cole; Essien (Ramires 84th) Mikel (Ramires 84th), Lampard (Kalou 71st); Anelka (Sturridge 81st), Drogba, Malouda.

STOKE: Sorensen; Wilkinson (Whelan 51st), Huth, Faye, Collins; Shawcross, Whitehead, Delap (Pugh 85th), Etherington; Walters, Jones (Fuller 67th).

MAN of the MATCH: Michael Essien – a master in the Chelsea midfield who is finally making up for all that lost time out injured last season.

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