Portsmouth 0-5 Chelsea

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda both scored braces as Chelsea moved to within a point of league leaders Manchester United.

In a game played in abysmal conditions on the south coast, the Blues took a first half lead when Didier Drogba capitalised on a David James error to give Chelsea a crucial lead heading into the interval. Florent Malouda then scored a quick-fire brace before Drogba and Frank Lampard completed the rout to send Chelsea back to second in the table.

Chelsea are now just a point behind league leaders Manchester United and will find this victory a welcome tonic to a poor run of form that has seen Carlo Ancelotti's side knocked out of the Champions League and lose ground in the title hunt.

But the team's biggest away win of the season ensures that Chelsea are back in the chase for the Premier League crown, with a crunch clash with Sir Alex Ferguson's side in early April looming ever closer.

Ancelotti will have raised several eyebrows with his team selection, selecting Deco and Daniel Sturridge ahead of Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka respectively, but the Blues boss will be happy to see his side return to winning ways in what is their thirteenth triumph over Portsmouth in fourteen attempts.

With Arsenal and United in fine form it was absolutely paramount that Chelsea took three points from this game as they sought to preserve their faltering title ambitions, but they were not aided by a saturated pitch and a resolute Portsmouth backline.

But a superb night for the Blues saw them not only make up the ground on the league leaders but also match their northern rivals' goal difference - and only two points now separates the top three, though Chelsea can now boast the Premier League's best attack having netted 75 league goals this term.

Chelsea were the first to apply pressure and Ricardo Carvalho missed a chance to head home before Drogba had fired two snapshots wide of David James' goal.

James then made a smart save from a long-range shot from Lampard before bravely collecting a Yuri Zhirkov cross with Drogba looking to pounce. The England keeper then got down quickly to deny Lampard a second time with a good low parry.

Moments later, however, an error in judgement by James saw him kick nothing but air after the ball took a slight bobble, allowing Drogba to stroll home and score.

Drogba was in lethal form as he scored his 15th goal in 14 Premier League games.

The end of the first half was soured by a number of injuries, however, that first saw Ricardo Carvalho forced to withdraw and Alex replacing him. Portmouth's Ricardo Rocha was then stretchered off the field after suffering a broken cheekbone after a collision with Malouda.

But the worst of the injuries saw Tommy Smith's nose and eye socket fractured due to a stray elbow by Sturridge - and replays suggest the arm movement was deliberate.

Moments after the interval Chelsea stretched their lead when Malouda rifled home from close range after being fed by Lampard, and the in-form former Lyonnais man was in the right place at the right time ten minutes later when he fired home a rebound after James had denied Lampard yet again.

The England keeper's personal battle with his international colleague continued when he made a stunning diving save to keep out a Lampard thunderbolt from the edge of the area, but was being seriously let down by his defenders.

Joe Cole, in the meantime, had come on and seen a shot well-saved by James though he should have done better with his initial touch on second viewing. Patrick van Aanholt then came on for his Chelsea début on 71 minutes as Ancelotti looked to rest key men - Zhirkov was the man replaced.

Drogba then scored his thirtieth of the season after latching on to a sublime through-ball from Mikel, holding off Hermann Hreidarsson before lashing past a beleaguered James.

And matters went from bad to worse for Portsmouth as Lampard headed home his seventeenth goal of the season to continue his good form in front of goal and eradicate the advantage of Manchester United's previously superior goal difference.

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Chelsea: Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho (Alex 36), Terry ©, Zhirkov (Van Aanholt 69); Mikel, Lampard; Sturridge (J Cole 54), Deco, Malouda; Drogba

Portsmouth: James ©; Mullins, Rocha (Basinas 45), Hreidarsson, Finnan; Mokoena (Kanu 69), Wilson, Hughes; O'Hara, Smith (Owusu-Abeyie 46); Piquionne

The TalkChelsea.net Man of the Match was Chelsea's number 15, FLORENT MALOUDA