spartak moscow 4-1

Independent:

Drogba returns to fire rampant Chelsea into the knockout stages
Chelsea 4 Spartak Moscow 1

By Mark Fleming at Stamford Bridge

The buzz at Chelsea at the moment is all about giving youth a chance to shine, but when push comes to shove, it is still the club's reliable old pros who step up and deliver. With John Terry rested and Frank Lampard still injured, it was a rejigged Chelsea team that took on the Russian visitors. However, after a goalless first-half display in which Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm, a wonderful goal from Nicolas Anelka and a penalty from Didier Drogba put the result beyond doubt and put Chelsea through to the knock-out stages with four wins out of four in Group F.
At the end of the game, Josh McEachran, Gaël Kakuta and Daniel Sturridge were all on the pitch, trying to impress manager Carlo Ancelotti. However, if Chelsea are finally to achieve their unfulfilled ambition of lifting the Champions League trophy this season, it is to Terry and Lampard, Drogba and Anelka that Ancelotti will be turning.
Victory over Spartak Moscow affords Chelsea's experienced Italian manager the chance to rotate more of his players in the last two group games. But when the business end of the Champions League kicks off in the middle of February, he will need his best, most experienced players to be fit and flying if Chelsea are finally to win Europe's premier prize.
Victory over Blackburn at the weekend earned Ancelotti his 50th win as Chelsea manager in his 71st game since accepting Roman Abramovich's offer to give his team "personality". It took Ancelotti four more games to reach the landmark than Jose Mourinho managed in 2004-05. In the past, that kind of statistic might have been used as evidence the Italian was not quite up to the standards set by the Special One, but winning the Double last season of Premier League and FA Cup has put paid to those comparisons.
Ancelotti has barely put a foot wrong in his 17 months in charge at the Bridge, the one glitch being Chelsea's elimination to Internazionale in the first stage of the Champions League knock-out stages in March, when Chelsea lost both legs of the tie and were made to look powerless. In their attempt to make good this year, Chelsea are intent on making as few mistakes as possible in the competition, to control "the details", as Ancelotti described his intention in the build-up to this match.
Yet it was with an eye on Chelsea's trip to Anfield on Sunday that Ancelotti decided to rest both Terry and Michael Essien, who has a slight toe injury, from the starting team to face the Russians. In the absence of Terry, and also Lampard, who sources say will not be fit to face Liverpool, the armband was passed to Drogba, making his first Champions League appearance of the season following a two-game suspension and then illness.
Drogba, such a key performer for Chelsea, has been a little off colour in recent weeks after a flying start to the season. At times in recent games he has seemed too concerned with creating chances for others, drifting wide or dropping too deep. It was noticeable in the opening exchanges last night that he stuck more rigidly to his role as the team's main goal threat.
He pounced quickly on a short pass from Ramires but his shot was saved by Spartak goalkeeper Andriy Dykan at his near post. Drogba then found himself clean through, put in by a long ball from John Obi Mikel, but after brushing off the challenges of two Spartak defenders, he scuffed his shot at Dykan.
Soon after, another chance fell to Drogba, but the Ivory Coast international headed over the crossbar from Yuri Zhirkov's corner. Chelsea continued to push Spartak on the defensive and Alex missed from a matter of yards from another corner, the ball skewing off his shin and high into the crowd.
Anelka also curled an early shot not too wide of the far post, as Chelsea dominated. Yet Spartak showed they were not coming to London merely to allow their hosts to roll them over and Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal had to get down sharply to save an attempt from 25 yards from Spartak's Brazilian captain Alex.
Chelsea took the lead four minutes into the second half, when Anelka produced a moment of genius. Starting on the right, the French forward passed inside to Salomon Kalou and continued his run to receive the ball from the Ivory Coast international. Anelka's momentum had seemingly taken him too close to the byline but as Dykan rushed out recklessly from his goal the Chelsea man produced a finish of the highest quality.
Ramires, who is gradually starting to find his feet following his £17m move from Benfica in the summer, unleashed a perfect 50-yard ball to the toe of Drogba, who was brought down by Evgeni Makeev. With Lampard sidelined, responsibilities for the penalty fell to Drogba, who found the bottom corner of the net for his first Champions League goal of the season. In all, Drogba's record in Europe bears comparison with the very best of the recent past, with 32 goals in 61 Champions League appearances.
Chelsea ensured their passage to the knock-out stages with a third goal in the 66th minute. Drogba floated over a free-kick from the right side and Branislav Ivanovic was left unchallenged to score with a powerful header.
Spartak pulled a goal back with four minutes left, although substitute Nikita Bazhenov looked suspiciously offside as he took the ball from Welliton's cross and fired past Cech. Ivanovic added a fourth for the home side in stoppage time, from a goalmouth scramble, to give Chelsea a comfortable passage to the knock-out stages.
Afterwards, Ancelotti singled out Anelka for praise. "Anelka was the key to opening the game," he said. "He scored a fantastic goal. He has experience. He maintains very good skill, ability, speed. Overall he is in the best moment of his career."


Match facts

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Alex, Cole; Ramires, Mikel (McEachran, 68), Zhirkov; Kalou, Drogba (Sturridge, 76), Anelka (Kakuta, 76). Substitutes not used: Turnbull (gk), Van Aanholt, Terry, Bruma.

Spartak Moscow (4-2-3-1): Dykan; Makeev, Pareja, Suchy, Ivanov; Ibson, Sheshukov (Drincic, 67); D Kombarov, Alex (Kozlov, 68), McGeady (Bazhenov, 79); Welliton. Substitutes not used: Belenov (gk), Sabitov, Khodyrev, Ananidze.

Booked: Chelsea Mikel Spartak Moscow D Kombarov, Ivanov.
Possession Chelsea 57%, Spartak Moscow 43%.
Shots on target Chelsea 6, Spartak Moscow 5.
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).Attendance 40,477.
Man of the match Anelka. Match rating 7/10.

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Guardian:

Branislav Ivanovic leads Chelsea's charge as Blues beat Spartak Moscow

Chelsea 4 Anelka 49, Drogba (pen) 62, Ivanovic 66, Ivanovic 90
Spartak Moscow 1 Bazhenov 86

Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are quietly lethal. The victory over Spartak Moscow that clinches their place in the last 16 of the Champions League was comprehensive, yet the drubbing was methodical rather than ferocious. Despite all the attention paid to the club under Roman Abramovich's ownership, it is low-key expertise that makes his side such a force.
Goals mount up almost as an inevitability. There have been a dozen of them for Chelsea so far in Group F, and there were moments here when it seemed they could summon them at will. After the Spartak substitute Nikita Bazhenov had knocked in a low ball from Welliton with four minutes remaining, there was still a riposte as Branislav Ivanovic slammed home his second goal of the evening, in stoppage time.
It will mean little to Spartak but their goal was the first Petr Cech has conceded on this ground in 956 minutes – since Aston Villa scored against him in March. Chelsea were to be breached here, but they had never intended to be at their absolute peak.
Carlo Ancelotti had preferred to draw on the reserves of credit available to him after banking the full nine points from the first three matches in Group F. John Terry was an unused substitute, with the manager mindful of Sunday's Premier League fixture at Liverpool.
Even, so the Stamford Bridge team could not be wholly dismissive of the Russians. Spartak may have lost to Chelsea at home but they had been competent enough to win the two previous games in the group. Prior to this match it had suited both managers to dwell on the second half of the encounter at the Luzhniki stadium. Valeri Karpin drew comfort from his side's improvement since then while Ancelotti employed the memory of that period to warn against complacency.
All the same, the bald truth of that night was that Chelsea had the solace of two goals prior to the interval and won 2–0. This match was more unsettling since there was some threat to the hosts early in the contest. Purposeful attacking on the right after eight minutes saw Evgeni Makeev and Nicolás Pareja disturb Chelsea before the former Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady bent a drive wide.
Finesse was hard to come by at first, although a curler by Nicolas Anelka that went past the far post in the 15th minute showed intent. A half-hit drive soon followed from Didier Drogba, who ought to have had an appetite for this tournament. The Ivorian had been absent from the earlier group fixtures through a suspension incurred last season and then illness.
There was an incentive to make up for lost time and he also sported the armband in this game. Spartak, for their part, had a degree of expertise and took the play to Chelsea when feasible. In the absence of high stakes, so far as the hosts were concerned at least, there was an agreeably open quality to the game.
It was Karpin's men who came closest to a goal in the first half, when the Spartak midfielder Alex hit a firm drive that had Cech diving to his right to parry. There was sufficient intensity, too, for Chelsea's Mikel John Obi and Dmitri Kombarov each to receive a booking in separate incidents before the interval.
At half-time this was the one Champions League fixture of the night to lack a goal.
There had been a hint of a breakthrough when Ivanovic flicked on a Yuri Zhirkov corner kick but Alex misconnected and scuffed the ball over the bar from close quarters in the 34th minute. Spartak, with a little more to lose, looked from time to time as if there was a superior intensity to their work.
It was the expertise and understanding in Ancelotti's line-up that broke the deadlock. Four minutes after the interval, Salomon Kalou drew opponents with him as he moved from the flank to the centre and the Ivorian then put a reverse pass back to Anelka. From an angle on the right the striker forced home a drive at the near post.
The Spartak goalkeeper Andriy Dykan had been unimpressive in the incident, but Karpin's players were not immediately disheartened. News of Marseille's easy win elsewhere in the group would have reached them and they understood that progress to the last 16 of the Champions League is not to be taken for granted, even if they will be at home when they meet the French side in their next group fixture.
There was, even so, little that Spartak could extract from this encounter. Once they are in front, Chelsea show a lethal patience and the lead was extended efficiently.
Drogba ran at Makeev, was brought down by the right-back and got up to slot away the penalty to the goalkeeper's right in the 62nd minute.
The relevance of this fixture had vanished for Spartak, who were breached once more by a firm downward header by Ivanovic from a Drogba set-piece. This had been no onslaught, yet the sheer thoroughness must chill the blood of most opponents.


Didier Drogba lacks fire but fuels Chelsea win over Spartak Moscow
Chelsea's captain for the night made his belated Champions League bow without any theatrics but with an inevitable goal
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge had to wait until just after the hour for Didier Drogba to signal his return. The Ivorian emerged from his customary autumn hibernation away from the group stage of this competition, a legacy of misdemeanours sparked by elimination the previous year, to face Spartak Moscow. With their talisman restored, Chelsea's latest pursuit of this trophy feels as if it is gathering pace.
This was a gentle welcome back, lacking the emotion of the visit of Internazionale in March that had seen Drogba rake his boot down Thiago Motta's achilles to prompt a red card. Three campaigns in a row have begun with a ban, not a bang.
The fever that kept him out of the trip to Moscow having subsided, Drogba eased his way back in here, stirring midway through the second half to ensure his side's passage into the knock-out phase.
He had been drifting somewhat in the early stages of the half, before he snapped awake to induce Evgeni Makeev's foul in the area after 61 minutes. The penalty was dispatched comfortably for a 32nd goal in 61 Champions League appearances. Moments later it was Drogba's free-kick that was headed down and in by Branislav Ivanovic to add gloss to the scoreline. In truth, Drogba's display – occasionally almost uninterested, at other times alert and productive – summed up his campaign to date.
If there has been a vague criticism of the forward this season it would be of his apparent desire to supply rather than score. Selflessness is rarely cause for concern but at times, when Chelsea have been strolling against the lesser lights in the Premier League, Drogba has meandered out of the centre and sought to present team-mates with opportunities. It is as if scoring has become too easy, as if he considers the goals to be somewhat devalued.
That should hardly constitute an annoyance. Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka have benefited – the Ivorian's lay-off for the latter at Ewood Park on Saturday was immaculate – and Frank Lampard's absence has gone relatively unnoticed with his goals being supplied by others in this supremely effective team. The manager sees the value in Drogba's assists.
"He is a striker, but I think he has always shown unselfish behaviour on the pitch," said Carlo Ancelotti.
Yet, on a humdrum occasion such as this it would have been refreshing for Drogba to rampage again, his focus fixed solely upon swelling his own tally as it was on the season's opening day, against West Bromwich Albion. There had only been three goals since that hat-trick before last night, including his customary score against Arsenal. The sight of Drogba at his best generates its own drama. This return to European competition had offered a platform.
There were hints of urgency in his first-half performance. Chelsea's better opportunities, Alex's horrible miss from a yard out aside, had generally been provided by their captain, though Drogba had rather scuffed Yuri Zhirkov's early free-kick and then seen Andriy Dykan block a near-post attempt. His free header over the bar from Zhirkov's corner was wasteful. More impressive was his collection of Mikel John Obi's punt, barging a passage between Nicolas Pareja and Aleksandr Sheshukov before Dykan stifled his shot.
Thereafter, frustration threatened to set in and he was rather overshadowed by Anelka's slickly taken goal – his fifth in four Champions League games – before he roused himself. Ancelotti had pointed to the positive impact the Ivorian can make on this competition if he can keep his temper. Feistier nights lie ahead; for now, Drogba will be content to be back.


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Mail:

Chelsea 4 Spartak Moscow 1: Branislav Ivanovic at the double as Blues cruise into knockout stages of Champions League

By Matt Barlow

Tube chaos gripped the capital and for a while it seemed Chelsea had fallen under its paralysis.Cue a pair of trusty strikers to get things moving and ease Carlo Ancelotti’s team into the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games still to play.
First there was Nicolas Anelka, the Frenchman so often charged with carrying the Blues through thearduous early rounds of the competition.Second Didier Drogba, who these days tends to ease himself into European football somewhere inmid-autumn.Branislav Ivanovic popped up to add two late goals and give the scoreline a generous gloss but, unlike the thrills at White Hart Lane 24 hours earlier, this was not easy on the eye.The first goalless 45 minutes were turgid but boss Ancelotti managed to generate a better tempo after the break and Anelka provided the spark early in the second half.l
It was the 10th goal of the season and the fifth in four Champions League games for Anelka, who collected the ball on the left, turned and glided across the turf on a diagonal run. He traded passes with Salomon Kalou to unlock the Spartak defence and clipped a clinical finish over goalkeeper Andriy Dykan, who came sliding from his line to tighten the angle.It was a beautiful goal from Chelsea’s best player, although he was soon forced to concede penalty-taking rights to Drogba, who was captain in the absence of John Terry, rested on the bench, and Frank Lampard. Having served a two-match ban for a red card against Inter Milan last season and missed the game in Moscow two weeks ago with a fever, Drogba was back in European action.When he was hacked down in the penalty area by Evgeni Makeev and Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir pointed to the spot, he leapt to his feet to take it. There was no mistake from a striker who scored 37 times in all competitions last season.The penalty punctured Spartak’s spirit. Ivanovic, who scored a vital winner in the Barclays PremierLeague at Blackburn on Saturday, found himself unmarked to nod in the third direct from a corner.Kalou should have added the fourth but missed the target from 10 yards.
Ivanovic smashed in his second of the night but not before Spartak substitute Nikita Bazhenov had pulled one back, tapping in Welliton’s cross from the right. It was the first goal conceded by PetrCech at Stamford Bridge this season, the first in more than 16 hours of football, a run stretching back to a goal scored by John Carew for Aston Villa back in March.Anelka and Drogba were replaced once their work was done. Ancelotti spoke on the eve of the game about the importance of qualifying as soon as possible, to enable him to manage his squad through a congested fixture list.
As well as leaving out Terry, he started without Florent Malouda and Michael Essien, who were bothnursing injuries. Essien has a slight toe problem but Ancelotti insists he will be fit to play at Liverpool on Sunday. Malouda’s twisted ankle will rule him out at Anfield.Lampard is still not back from a hernia operation in August and Chelsea’s midfield lacked its usualmuscular presence here.
The early signs were worrying as Ramires, Yuri Zhirkov and John Obi Mikel were swamped by the Russians and Mikel collected a cheap booking as he worked harder to impose himself. Cech had to save well from Spartak’s Brazilian playmaker Alex but Drogba and Anelka always gave the Premier League champions a vicious cutting edge.Anelka, in the form of his life according to Ancelotti, drifted to the left, then checked back on to his right foot, skipped past Nicolas Pareja and Makeev and hit a shot which curled a only fraction too late to make it inside the far post.Chelsea’s Alex also went close before half-time, arriving late to meet a Zhirkov corner flicked on by Ivanovic, but somehow the ball struck the Brazilian’s knee and flew high over the bar.Chelsea took control after the interval and did not look in trouble once they took the lead. Youngsters Josh McEachran, Daniel Sturridge and Gael Kakuta came on and can expect more European experience in the final two group games.The Blues still require a point from their final two games — at home to Zilina and away in Marseille— to be certain of winning Group F and going into the draw for the last 16 as a seeded team.But, even with a seriously weakened side, it is hard to see how that will not come against Zilina at Stamford Bridge in three weeks.

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Star:

CHELSEA 4 - SPARTAK MOSCOW 1: ANELKA MAGIC WORKS LIKE A CHARM

By Danny Fullbrook

CHELSEA must hope Nicolas Anelka has turned into their Champions League lucky charm.
The French striker smashed home a brilliant goal to open the floodgates last night as the Blues hit four second-half goals to secure their place in the knockout stages.
The 31-year-old hitman has now scored in all four of his side’s European ties this season, and this was his fifth in total for the campaign.
Once he had set Chelsea on their way, Branislav Ivanovic scored twice and Didier Drogba converted a penalty.
But it was Anelka’s strike which was the best, and most crucial, as the opener.
Of course, every Blues fan will remember John Terry’s tears and his missed penalty in the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow against Manchester United.
But some neutrals might forget that Anelka missed from the spot that night in the driving rain.
So it looks like he is almost on a one-man mission this season to make up for his mistake.
Anelka started and finished last night’s brilliant effort which lit up what had been a dull game until that point.
He drove at the heart of the Russian defence before slipping a ball into the path of Salomon Kalou, who gave it straight back to him out wide in the area.
But the tight angle did not bother Anelka. With the goalkeeper flying off his line, he arrowed his shot home.
The goal led to a deluge as Spartak capitulated.
Drogba won a penalty with a spirited run into the area where he was upended by Evgeni Makeev.
Skipper for the night with Terry on the bench and Frank Lampard still missing, Drogba picked himself up to stroke the penalty home in the 61st minute.
It was his first goal for over a month for Chelsea in his first European game of the season after suspension and illness kept him out of the first three.
The temperamental striker has ended up with two red cards and a retrospective ban at the end of the last three campaigns, which has meant he has been absent for the opening stages of the next one.
It has not been a major problem, but manager Carlo Ancelotti pointed out that considering the slim margins which have left Chelsea cursing their luck in recent years, Drogba needs to make sure he is on the pitch as much as possible this season.
Spartak were cheered on by a noisy group of fans, but their night got worse just five minutes later.
This time Drogba was the provider as he whipped a free-kick into the area from the right and Ivanovic was allowed a free header which he planted past Andriy Dikan to bring the Bridge alive.
These sort of games have, historically, not been much of a problem for Chelsea. The powerful west London side have fairly motored through the group rounds in recent seasons.
It has been the big sudden death games which have caught them out and caused so much heartache.
They have lost four semi- finals and the United final in the past seven years. That alone has instilled an incredible desire among these players to finally nail this competition.
It has been a personal frustration of Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, that despite the £300m-plus he has thrown at Chelsea, they are yet to land the Holy Grail of the Champions League.
This year his players have vowed it will be different. And given they are five points clear at the top of the Premier League, they are showing signs of the form to do so.
Ancelotti could afford to rest a host of players last night for Sunday’s game against Liverpool, as three wins in the competition already had helped them put one foot in the knockout stages.
Terry was the only senior player on the bench, while Michael Essien and Florent Malouda were left out altogether. And after the third goal Ancelotti was able to take off Anelka and Drogba.
At that point it was difficult to predict Spartak would get a goal back given their pathetic second half showing.
But with just four minutes left the Russians narrowly beat the offside trap with Welliton crossing the ball for sub Nikita Bazhenov to stab the ball home.
Chelsea were not quite finished, though, and managed to add a fourth in stoppage time.
After a goalmouth scramble Serbian defender Ivanovic turned and knocked the ball home for his second of the night.
It was a comprehensive victory, like most up to this point in the competition. It is the knockout stages where the mental scars start to show for Chelsea, but if Anelka keeps this form he might just help his side heal them this season.


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Sun:

Chelsea 4 Spartak 1

By ANDREW DILLON

THE French will be getting their grubby hands on our aircraft carriers and nuclear secrets but their most potent weapon is already in English hands.
And Chelsea have no intention of sharing Nicolas Anelka with anyone else.
His classy goal steered them through choppy waters and set them up to advance into the last 16 of the Champions League. Anelka has turned his back on France after his infamous World Cup bust-up and it is paying huge dividends for boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea effectively now have 3½ months off from Europe to focus on retaining the Premier League title, safe in the knowledge they are already in the hat for the Euro knockout stage in mid-February.
It is an added bonus that Ancelotti's boys have become the first of the four English teams in the competition to qualify for the second phase.
The remaining two games in Group F will be used merely as practice for Ancelotti to run the rule over a few of his European squad's reserves and kids.
With Slovakian minnows MSK Zilina next up at Stamford Bridge, fresh from a 7-0 home hiding by Marseille last night, it is also a fair bet Chelsea will not find it too difficult to collect the point required to win the group and secure a top seeding in the draw for the next round.
Anelka underlined his importance to Chelsea with his 10th goal in 13 games this season, five of which have come in Europe. His 49th-minute goal, which broke the deadlock to put his team 1-0 up, was not just stylishly taken.
It was also vital in that it lifted the game out of the doldrums and put sluggish Chelsea on course for what was ultimately a comprehensive victory.
Didier Drogba announced his return to Champions League action after a two-game ban and illness by converting a penalty and Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic scored twice in a rare run of form in front of goal. He has scored three times in two games.
But the plaudits belong to Anelka, who seems to hate France, love England and enjoy scoring magical goals that can turn a match on its head.
He arrived in England at just 16 years of age to sign for Arsenal. Now 31, he has spent all but a few of the years in between playing in the Premier League and is now an honorary Brit.
And after such a drab first half, boy did the Chelsea fans need him to show a bit of English grit and carve out the all-important opener, which set the tone for a flood of goals after the break.
To be fair to Chelsea, the soulless and goalless first 45 minutes was in stark contrast to their previous European matches. And it was clear a stern talking-to from boss Ancelotti at the break had blown away the cobwebs and sparked them into life.
Yet the Italian must shoulder some responsibility for the half-hearted opening with his team selection.
Even before kick-off, Ancelotti had placed confidence in his team to come through eventually on the night with the all-important win.
He clearly had Sunday's trip to Liverpool on his mind when he decided to rest a couple of his key men for this latest game.
John Terry was kept on the bench to step in if needed, while tank-like midfielder Michael Essien missed out altogether.
Chelsea seemed to believe all that was required was to turn up to collect three more points. But despite their overwhelming superiority in terms of possession and chances, the Blues looked lightweight and vulnerable on occasions.
Instead of cruise control, it was more a case of snooze control.
Spartak's Scottish wideman Aiden McGeady had the first chance of the game and curled a shot inches wide of Petr Cech's post on six minutes.
Spartak skipper Alex also brought a fine save out of Cech, who dropped to his knees to punch clear a wickedly swerving effort.
Chelsea's Alex then wasted a superb chance to put the home side ahead just before half-time, somehow shinning the ball over from virtually under the bar.
Fortunately, Anelka took command of the ship and got the Blues underway when he started and finished a neat move with Salomon Kalou. It ended with him racing to the by-line and cracking a shot past keeper Andriy Dykan to open the floodgates.
A relieved Chelsea poured forward and Drogba's surging run into the box was halted by a trip from Evgeni Makeev.
A typically powerful Drogba penalty made it 2-0.
Ivanovic then met Drog's outswinging free-kick on 66 minutes but the Serb defender lost concentration to allow Spartak sub Nikita Bazenhov to grab a consolation with four minutes left.
While the game started at half-speed it finished full steam ahead, with Ivanovic netting his second.

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Telegraph:


Chelsea 4 Spartak Moscow 1
By Henry Winter

Some strikers can get things moving in London. After fans endured problematic journeys to the Bridge due to industrial action on the Tube, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba eventually sent Chelsea smoothly on their way into the knock-out stage of the Champions League, their progress accelerated by a fine double from Branislav Ivanovic.
For 45 minutes, Chelsea were as stop-start as the Underground but normal service was resumed in the second half. Maybe it was the sight of Charlie Cooke being paraded to fans at the break that instilled a greater spirit of adventure into the heirs to his rich tradition.
Anelka’s finish was terrific, the ball threaded through the eye of a particularly thin needle while Drogba’s penalty brooked no argument in creation or execution. Ivanovic’s goals were a well-taken, well-received bonus, a typically powerful header and then a neat shot. Of his six goals for Chelsea, four have come in the Champions League (the other European pair being against Liverpool).
One more point guarantees Chelsea top spot, so avoiding other group winners in the draw for the last 16, but Carlo Ancelotti will surely start some of his richly promising youngsters, particularly Josh McEachran, in the next Group F tie, the Nov 23 visit of modest Zilina.
Sent on for the final 21 minutes here, McEachran delivered another cameo appearance that spoke eloquently of his talent as a central midfielder of commitment and composure. Gael Kakuta and Daniel Sturridge also came on and buzzed around, although without quite the same eye-catching impact of McEachran. The boy can play.
Even if Ancelotti aims to use such prospects against Zilina and Marseille, it is hard to see the Italian denying Drogba an emotional trip to Stade Velodrome on Dec 8. Anelka, a former Paris St-Germain player, is unlikely to be greeted with so many garlands. He deserves a break, having begun this season so strongly, impressing particularly here. Eventually.
After the fireworks at the Lane, this was a damp squib at the Bridge until Anelka’s magnificent finish shortly after the restart. Until then most energy had been expended by the Spartak supporters, two of whom rolled up their sleeves to flex tattooed biceps like Muscovite Popeyes.
Until Anelka struck, Chelsea’s usual fluency was seen only fitfully. Michael Essien’s drive in midfield was particularly sorely missed in the first half. The Ghanaian, apparently nursing a knock, was rested by Ancelotti, who also kept John Terry in reserve with one eye on the trip to Liverpool on Sunday. Terry was so unfamiliar with being a sub that he forgot to don a Uefa bib when warming up.
Mistakes crept into the English champions’ play. A loose pass from John Obi Mikel, the ball played blind across midfield, gifted possession to Valeri Karpin’s side. Here was a situation that the flaxen-haired Karpin would have enjoyed in his own playing pomp. Spartak poured forward, the ball soon at the clever feet of Aiden McGeady, who failed to trouble Petr Cech.
Chelsea woke up, beginning to put together some promising ventures. Anelka and Drogba went close. Alex missed horribly from close range. Things could only get better. Fortunately for Chelsea they did. Ancelotti shook his players up at the break, sending them out teeming with far more purpose. Four minutes into the new period, with a new mood suffusing Chelsea, Anelka created and finished the first. Finding Salomon Kalou with a good pass, Anelka darted down the inside-right channel, running on to the return ball.
There was still much to do. Spartak’s keeper, Andriy Dykan, sped out but left a chink of light between him and his left-hand upright. Anelka needed no second invitation, drilling the ball through the small window of opportunity. It was a brilliant goal, a strike that almost defied geometry.
A wave of relief flooded through the Bridge. Chelsea were now relaxed, now more assertive in their attacking. Drogba cut in from the left after 62 minutes, twisting this way and that and panicking Evgeni Makeev, Spartak’s right-back, into fouling him. Drogba punished such an intemperate challenge with a penalty that flew past Dykan.
Drogba then turned creator, lifting in a 66th-minute free-kick from the right for Ivanovic, so deadly in the air, to head home. Karpin cursed the fates, but he could also have admonished his markers. Nicolas Pareja had singularly failed in his assignment of sticking to Ivanovic.
The tie won, the qualification secured, Ancelotti rang the changes, sending on McEachran, Kakuta and Sturridge. The Russians also sent on somebody, a chubby pitch invader emerging from the away corner of the Shed before slipping over in the centre-circle. Spartak fans also lobbed a couple of bottles at their Chelsea counterparts.
A more positive move came from the visitors’ Welliton, the striker racing down the right with four minutes remaining and crossing for the unmarked Nikita Bazhenov to score the first goal Cech has conceded at the Bridge in 963 minutes.
Bzehenov, the Spartak sub, looked offside but Chelsea were hardly going to complain, particularly as they added a fourth in stoppage tme. When Kalou crossed, Sturridge tried to hook the ball goalwards but it eventually rebounded to Ivanovic, who finished expertly. Passage to the Champions League knock-out stages was guaranteed, allowing Chelsea to focus on keeping the home fires burning through the winter.