Source: Daily_Mail
Chelsea 2 Stoke 0: Malouda and Drogba keep Blues cruising at the top
It did not rain goals at Stamford Bridge for a change but FlorentMalouda and Didier Drogba still came up with two vital strikes to keepChelsea's 100% record intact at the top of the Premier League. [LNB]Malouda expertly converted a first-half opportunity with his rightfoot against a Stoke side made of much sterner stuff than the TonyPulis team who surrendered seven at the Bridge back in April. [LNB] Head up: Drogba consoles Lampard after his penaltymiss[LNB] And Drogba supplied the coup de grace with a second-half penalty after Thomas Sorensen had brought down Nicolas Anelka. [LNB]Chelsea even had the luxury of seeing Frank Lampard miss the tamestof first-half penalties. Roman Abramovich certainly cannot complainwith the entertainment on show at Stamford Bridge these days. [LNB]Nor with the battling qualities of a Chelsea side who dug out thiswin as opposed to destroying the opposition as they had done inprevious weeks. [LNB]Chelsea's starting line-up showed just one change with PauloFerreira coming in for fullback Branislav Ivanovic who was sufferingfrom a back injury. [LNB]For Stoke, goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, linked with Chelsea andreported to have refused to play against Shrewsbury in the Carling Cupin midweek, was on the bench with Thomas Sorensen starting. [LNB]But while it was not the goal rout of recent weeks, Chelsea were byfar the classier side, giving warning of what was to come within fiveminutes when Michael Essien split the Stoke defence with a pass intothe path of Ashley Cole to set up a chance the England fullback pulledwide. [LNB]Stoke also had their chances early on, Dean Whitehead bringing asharp save from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech with a snap shot followinga neat one-two with Kenwyne Jones and Jonathan Walters lifting a lob onto the top of the Chelsea net.[LNB] It would have made it even easier for Chelsea, of course, ifLampard had not missed that penalty on 10 minutes after Ryan Shawcrossbrought down Drogba.[LNB] Flo rider: Malouda beats Sorensen to put Chelsea ahead[LNB] It was a poor spot kick, side-footed to Sorensen's left-hand side and the Stoke goalkeeper had no problem falling on the ball.[LNB] Sorensen also punched away a savagely-struck free-kick from Drogba in a first-half which could easily have turned into another goal landslide. [LNB]Much of that was to do with Essien and Lampard who ran the midfield with precision passing and fluent movement. [LNB]It was no surprise when the breakthrough came in the 32nd minute. [LNB]This time captain John Terry provided the killer pass, threading a ball through for Malouda to run on to and smash a right-foot shot past Sorensen for his fourth goal of the season. [LNB]When this Chelsea side get ahead they are difficult to catch. [LNB]Carlo Ancelotti does not apply the brakes like Jose Mourinho, who was content to shut up shop from a winning position. [LNB] Paying the penalty: Chelsea's Florent Malouda is brought down in the box by Ryan Shawcross[LNB]They surge forward looking for more goals, none more so than Cole who met a ball floated into the box acrobatically on the volley only to see his shot rattle the Stoke bar and rebound to safety. [LNB]Sorensen was required again in the second-half, most notably to save a point-blank header from Drogba following a floated cross from Anelka. [LNB]To Stoke's credit they did not capitulate. They dug in with substitute Glenn Whelan giving them more bite and direction.[LNB] Indeed, he provided the shot of the second-half, giving Chelsea something of a fright when he stepped forward and cracked a 25-yard shot against Cech's crossbar only to see the ball bounce down and away to safety. [LNB]But the game was sealed for Chelsea when Sorensen was bedazzled by Anelka's pace and Drogba slotted home from the penalty spot. [LNB]There was just time for Daniel Sturridge, on his 21st birthday, to come on for Anelka and Brazilian midfielder Ramires to make his debut from the bench. [LNB]So Chelsea march on. Fourteen league goals scored. None conceded. They look unstoppable.[LNB] Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho goes on the attack for a special title hat-trickThe golden brickie! Chelsea's new-boy Ramires enjoying the high-life after earning £2 a day working on building siteCHELSEA FC: All the latest news from across the webSTOKE CITY FC: All the latest news from across the web[LNB] [LNB]
