BlueLion.

The man changed the club, basically. He died before I began supporting the club, which was in 1997, but his legacy remains part of Chelsea folklore. My old man and my granddad speak to me in fondness of the man, of how he was a man for the supporters and no-one else. A true legend for the club.

Chelsea 4-0 Atletico Madrid It wasn't a vintage performance; moreso a clinical and efficient one. But with qualification for the next round looking an almost certainty, Chelsea will be in confident form heading into the weekend's Premier League match with Blackburn, with a win necessary to maintain our pursuit of that elusive title. The performance was not the stellar attacking brilliance Barcelona show, or the flair and creation of Arsenal, Lyon or Milan, but rather a new brand of football, first developed by José Mourinho during his spell in charge of the club - ruthless efficiency. When Carlo Ancelotti's side can dispose of teams such as Atletico Madrid - one of the best clubs in Spain, contrary to recent form - with such ease and quality, it really does beg the question why Chelsea lost as Villa Park on Saturday, and at the DW Stadium in Wigan last month. Clinical finishing in front of goal was the difference; Kalou was sharp and his performance one of his better ones in a Chelsea shirt. There were star performers all over the pitch - it was a fabulous team display. Salomon Kalou has come in for an almighty amount of stick from Chelsea fans, myself included, for his sheer inconsistency. And even though he set Chelsea on their way to a comfortable victory with two well-taken goals, the striker defied belief by missing an open goal from ten yards (although a flag from the official would have denied him anyway) and then managing to be offside from a corner kick after it was flicked on at the near post. Despite this, Kalou was involved with almost everything good from a Chelsea perspective, and though he continues to frustrate, two clinical finishes yesterday evening could be the beginning of a strong run of form for the Ivorian - 7.5. Nicolas Anelka was a peripheral figure against Atletico. Despite being the main striker in Ancelotti's system, playing off a more advanced forward, he was unusually quiet, and only showed glimpses of quality. He had a tendency to hug either of the touchlines, allowing Lampard and Ballack to venture forward, but as a goalscoring centre forward, Anelka should be in the six yard box waiting to pounce. An off day for the Frenchman, though he did force a fine save from Asenjo - 6 Michael Ballack - an unsung hero. Much like Claude Makelele, Ballack's influence on the team is missed by many Chelsea supporters. His mere presence in the midfield would appear to be a comfort to his teammates, and his driving runs forward can put any team on the back foot immediately. Against Atletico, Ballack was effective rather than spectacular; his defensive performance helping to null most of the pressure from the Spaniards, whilst going forward he was a constant menace. It is no coincidence the only games Chelsea have lost this term are those where Ballack has been absent through injury - 7. Frank Lampard has had his confidence reignited. Typically a slow starter to the season in terms of goalscoring, a new system has meant Lampard has been somewhat subdued on many an occasion so far this term. However, against the Spanish team he seemed to have returned to his usual self; spreading the ball across the park effortlessly with a glorious range of passes, and scoring a trademark low drive from range. Lampard has always had a habit of scoring goals in sequences, and hopefully this will be the kick-start the player needs to go on and score another twenty goals this term - 8 Michael Essien seems to have adapted to the role of Chelsea's anchor in midfield, but unlike John Mikel Obi, retains his natural instinct to attack. His surges from deep were apparent yesterday evening, and with an assist for Lampard's strike on 68 minutes, the Ghanaian continues to prove his brilliance across the pitch. Along with Ballack, Essien kept the Atletico midfield quiet; Simao was hardly involved and the service into Forlan and Aguero was almost non-existent. If Chelsea win anything this season, it is performances like this from Essien that will partly be responsible - his extra drive and determination is something Chelsea have missed since the days of Roberto di Matteo - 8.5. Anderson Deco, on his 100th European career appearance, was quiet and subdued. Though he was involved with a lot of Chelsea's build up play, many of the flicks and tricks he attempted failed to come off, and his lack of effort in closing down players was something Chelsea fans became frustrated with last night. Furthermore, his once incredible delivery from set pieces seems to have extinguished; twice he attempted to put crosses into the area, and twice they failed to beat the first defender. His wonderful attacking performance at the weekend seems so far away - 5.5. Ashley Cole, as ever, continues to be Mr. Reliable. Solid defensively, Cole was dangerous going forward also, and it was cross into Kalou that opened the scoring for the Blues. With no natural winger in the starting line-up, it was down to the fullbacks to provide width, and Cole was exceptional; willing to bomb forward but never over-committing and thus ensuring he carried out his defensive responsibilities - 7.5. Branislav Ivanovic had a torrid time of things at Villa Park, much like Jose Bosingwa, the man he replaced during the second half. However, in his usual role at centre back alongside John Terry, the Serbian looked imperious and was brilliant against Diego Forlan. Quick into the tackle and always the first to react to danger, the Chelsea number two had a safe game; his only mistake rectified by a fine piece of goalkeeping by Petr Cech - 7. John Terry will be a much happier Chelsea captain following last night's performance. A screaming tantrum followed Villa's winning goal on Saturday, but the Blues defender and talisman enjoyed a fine performance alongside his goalkeeper and fellow backs. Like Ivanovic, Terry was tenacious and quick into every challenge, and every time the Chelsea captain contested for the ball, he won. His leadership qualities were on display for everyone to see, and under Ancelotti and Terry, the Blues winning machine marches on in Europe - 8. Juliano Belletti had a solid game at right back. Though he was the must susceptible of the back four when Atletico came forward, he was a joy to watch going forward and his attacking instinct meant the loss of Jose Bosingwa to injury was lessened significantly. Lively throughout and a joy to watch - 7 Petr Cech earned himself and his defence a welcome reprieve from media scrutiny with a clean sheet, making a number of decent saves in the process, including an excellent catch from a Forlan header. The Blues goalkeeper is now only three shutouts away from 125 Chelsea clean sheets, and made a number of good catches from set pieces - 7 Substitutes Florent Malouda - involved when he came on, set up fourth goal with devilish cross - 7 Yuri Zhirkov - a quiet Champions League début, but he was hardly called into defensive action - 6.5 Daniel Sturridge - won the freekick for the fourth Chelsea goal, but a quiet Stamford Bridge bow - 6

Wednesday 21 October 2009, UEFA Champions League, Group Stage, Stamford Bridge, West London The disappointments of Chelsea's visit to Villa Park on Saturday have truly been forgotten. As James Collins wheeled away to celebrate what would eventually turn out to be a brilliant winning goal for Martin O'Neill's side, John Terry could be seen kicking the ball away and hitting the post in sheer frustration. By contrast, the Chelsea and England skipper was amongst the first to congratulate two-goal striker Salomon Kalou after the Ivorian sent Chelsea to the brink of Champions League Group Stage qualification after Carlo Ancelotti's side recorded a third straight victory in the competition. And though Atletico Madrid - a side struggling for form domestically - lack the same physical presence of Aston Villa and Saturday's opponents Blackburn Rovers, Petr Cech's clean sheet is a welcome reprieve after much public criticism from both the media and the Chelsea manager. John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were terrific against the precocious talent of the Spanish side's frontline of Diego Forlan and alleged Blues transfer target Sergio 'el Kun' Aguero, and fullbacks Belletti and Cole were full of attacking intent; the latter supplying the cross from Kalou's opener. In terms of entertainment, Chelsea's football clinical and efficient rather than flowing and beautiful, but the Blues were fluent with their passing and movement around the box was irresistible. Frank Lampard was full of invention and the marauding runs of Michael Essien had the Spanish defence on the back foot, and the industrious display of Michael Ballack was nigh-on faultless. In truth, it was the perfect response to the weekend loss at Villa Park. 4-0 equals Chelsea's biggest ever Champions League victory at Stamford Bridge, and Frank Lampard's goal for the club takes him above Jimmy Greaves in the club's top goalscorers list with 133, and into fifth position behind a certain Peter Osgood. Daniel Sturridge made his Stamford Bridge bow and Deco made his 100th career European performance, whilst Cech edged closer to his 125th career clean sheet - the Czech goalkeeper, who also made his 50th Champions League appearance for the club, now stands at 122 shutouts. After the set-piece calamities of the previous Saturday, Ancelotti chose to play Juliano Belletti at right-back; moving Ivanovic into the centre to partner skipper John Terry. Ricardo Carvalho was relegated to the bench. Salomon Kalou replaced the suspended Didier Drogba, who was serving the final game of his European ban, and Michael Ballack returned to the starting eleven after missing the defeat at Aston Villa. Young stars Jeffrey Bruma and Daniel Sturridge were both on the bench, alongside Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov, who would come on to make his European début for his new club. The game began with a fast and lively tempo, with Belletti at the heart of Chelsea's early menace. The Brazilian fullback sent in an early low cross that tested Sergio Asenjo's handling - the goalkeeper passed his first test. Moments later, the former Barcelona defender centred the ball for Kalou to attack, but the Ivorian failed to control his header under pressure from Tomas Ujfalusi. Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan than burst into life; first firing straight at Cech before producing a fine save from the Chelsea goalkeeper as his header from Simao's cross was caught by the Czech Republic goalkeeper, who made a fine reaction save. Chelsea had the ball in the net moments later, but Frank Lampard's freekick was ruled out after Asenjo collided with the offside Kalou, who was deemed to be interfering with play - it was nonetheless an absolute howler from the talented young goalkeeper. Kalou's evening took another turn for the worse when he inexplicably missed an open goal from ten yards from Michael Ballack's clever pass inside the defender. The Ivorian's blushes were saved slightly by an offside flag, but the Chelsea number 21 was so far having a match to forget. The Chelsea fans voiced their disapproval, but the Blues' skipper John Terry was quick to console the young striker and offered much encouragement to the player. Petr Cech then pulled off a save for the cameras as he tipped away a shot from nowhere as Forlan brilliantly engineered himself a yard of space outside of the area. In truth it was straight at Cech, but with Aguero following the shot in, the goalkeeper had to push the ball away from immediate danger. Asenjo then excelled at the opposite end of the field as he palmed away a deflected effort from Kalou; the resulting corner saw John Terry's flick on agonisingly evade the Ivorian's forehead. Kalou made amends for his earlier horror show with a clinical finish on the end of a beautiful Chelsea move. Lampard played a majestic pass inside the fullback to Ashley Cole, who picked Kalou out effortlessly with a raking ball across the six yard box. The Ivorian's finish was emphatic, beating Asenjo, and Chelsea had the lead their dominance warranted. Late efforts from Santana and Sima were wayward, and Cech plucked a delivery from the latter from the sky with ease. The second half lacked the same energy that the first had began with, and it took six minutes for the first serious attacking play to occur. Nicolas Anelka, a peripheral figure for much of the first forty five minutes, picked up the ball and launched a stinging effort from range that Asenjo was forced to athletically tip over. A yard or two either side of the goalkeeper, and Stamford Bridge might just have witnessed one of the goals of the season. The way in which Chelsea scored the second goal was the stuff of dreams for tabloid editors. With much being made of the Blues' inability to defend set pieces at the weekend against Aston Villa, for Salomon Kalou to execute a Frank Lampard corner and put Chelsea 2-0 up was irony at its best. The corner was won when a long throw from Belletti caused havoc in the area, with Asenjo having to spread himself to parry the ball behind for a corner. Lampard's delivery to the back post was a peach, and Kalou made no mistake from ten yards. Cech then saved from Aguero as the little Argentina sprung into life; latching on to a poor headed clearance from Ivanovic, the striker burst into the area but his shot was saved by the body of the goalkeeper, who had done well to race out to narrow the angle. On 68 minutes, Frank Lampard scored his first goal in eleven matches to end a barren spell. Last season, the Chelsea vice-captain scored in the 5-0 rout of Sunderland before going ten games without scoring - an identical spell this season following his penalty in a 3-1 win away at the Stadium of Light was ended with a trademark low finish from 25 yards. Essien combined with the England midfielder, who took a touch before beating Asenjo with ease. The Matthew Harding End stood in appreciation - Lampard was back. Kalou then left the field to a standing ovation only seconds after Anelka's cross to the far post was missed by the Ivorian by a matter of inches. Yuri Zhirkov came on for his Champions League bow, before Florent Malouda and young Daniel Sturridge also entered the field of play - Anelka and Ashley Cole made way. Jose Reyes, formerly of Arsenal, was given the expected welcome of a chorus of 40,000 boos as he entered the pitch moments later. Belletti was a late booking for the Blues but the hosts were not yet done; Florent Malouda's freekick was headed into his own goal by Perea to cap off a perfect return to form for Ancelotti's men. Much had been made of Chelsea defeats to Wigan and Aston Villa in recent weeks, but replies in the form of a 1-0 win in Nicosia and a 4-0 hammering of Atletico Madrid mean that Chelsea are still a force to be reckoned with. European qualification looks imminent for the Blues, who go to Spain for the return fixture in a fortnight, knowing they could qualify with a draw should Porto also beat APOEL in Cyprus. ___________________________________________________________________ Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Belletti, Ivanovic, Terry ©, A Cole (Malouda 74); Essien; Ballack, Lampard; Deco; Kalou (Zhirkov 72), Anelka (Sturridge 77) Atlético (4-4-2): Sergio Asenjo; Ujfalusi, Perea, Alvaro Dominguez, Antonio Lopez ©; Cleber Santana (Maxi Rodriguez 65), Paulo Assuncao (Jurado 53), Raul Garcia, Simao (Reyes 76); Forlan, Aguero The TalkChelsea.net Star Man was Chelsea's number 26; John Terry

Cheers

LMFAO! Great way to come back from the disappointments of Villa Park; we were sharp going forward and Terry and Ivanovic took no prisoners at the back with imperious displays. Essien and Lampard were superb in the second half particularly, and Belletti's constant raids forward were enjoyable to watch. Kalou continues to frustrate but he got his name on the scoresheet twice, so all in all, a very good evening's work. Ballack was quietly brilliant once again - its not by chance the only games we have lost this season have not featured the German.

Nice one Jim, good work

Wasn't too good going forward, however.

It depends on the extent of the injury, if he's back for the game on Saturday I would imagine him being rested as a precaution.

Bosingwa's out.

I think even Belletti is further ahead than Ferreira in Ancelotti's mind when it comes to the full-back positions... but I expect Ivanovic to continue at RB.

José Bosingwa will be out of action for up to a couple of weeks after damaging his knee in Chelsea's loss at Aston Villa. The Portuguese defender, banned from Chelsea's first two Champions League games, was due to return to the squad to play against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, but the ex-Porto man will miss this European clash as well as the Carling Cup and Premier League double-header with Bolton Wanderers. More info to follow.

Awesome

Actually I think we're creating plenty of chances; a combination of excellent goalkeeping and poor finishing is what cost us on Saturday.

3 points deducted and an indefinite ban for ever sounds fair.

He won't be playing anyway.

Could do, but it won't hurt you.

Keep it friendly people.

I hate being right sometimes.

I get exactly that problem on the computers at school; its IE. Download Firefox

Thanks. However I'm not going to change it because I won't be here Wednesday evening to change it.

I though barring the two corner incidents, Cech had a safe game. Carvalho was very poor, however, and Bosingwa was absolutely woeful.

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Welcome to the forum mate, stick around.

Welcome to the forum

vs EPL, 24 October 2009, the Bridge, 1730 KO Chelsea look to return to winning ways following their 2-1 humbling at Villa Park last weekend. Match chat here.