Bosingwa and Anelka give Stoke the blues

Stoke City 0

Chelsea 2 (Bosingwa 36, Anelka 77)

STOKE bowed to the inevitable as Chelsea's class eventually told at a sun-kissed Britannia Stadium this afternoon.

A first-half strike from Jose Bosingwa, followed by Nicolas Anelka's gifted second 13 minutes from time, sealed a deserved success for the Londoners.

But once again there was no faulting Stoke's organisation and spirit, while they raised both tempo and hope for an encouraging spell in the second half before Anelka's strike dashed all hope of a surprise scoreline.

And yet again their supporters remained solidly behind their efforts to thwart Chelsea's undoubted superiority on the ball and in the final third.

Abdoulaye Faye, Salif Diao and Thomas Sorensen emerged with particular credit after summoning their best to underpin Stoke's game, but futile, attempts at springing a surprise for a second week running.

Pre-match talk – in wall-to-wall sunshine encouraging picnics rather than flasks of Bovril – centred more on Rory Delap than Didier Drogba as one made the game and one didn't.

Sadly for Stoke, Delap was the one to miss out after failing to recover from the hamstring injury which had forced him to limp out of training towards the end of yesterday's session.

Secrecy surrounded his possible absence to try to wrong-foot a Chelsea side reportedly spending much of their preparatory work trying to devise a means of coping with his missile throws.

Chelsea had already enjoyed a shot-in-the-arm by being able to unveil Drogba for his first league start after his successful 79-minute workout for the Blues in the Carling Cup earlier in the week.

That will have offset the disappointment of losing Joe Cole through injury to leave him joining an expensive treatment room currently accommodating the likes of Deco, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien.

Richard Cresswell's first Premier League start for City in place of the injured Delap was one of two changes from Stoke's starting line-up at Anfield seven days earlier as Leon Cort retained the place he acquired from the injured Ibrahima Sonko during the goalless draw at Liverpool.

Delap's absence and the subsequent reshuffle meant Tom Soares appearing on the bench for the first time since moving from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day nearly a month ago.

The presence of former world champion Sugar Ray Leonard – together with his donning of a Stoke shirt on the pitch before kick off – cranked up the atmosphere even further as Stoke aimed to inflict on their much-vaunted visitors a first league defeat in 2008.

Photographers were training their lenses towards the directors' box as the teams emerged from the tunnel to an almighty buzz from all four corners, but there was no evident sign of Roman Abramovich travelling north to watch his club in person this afternoon.

Petr Cech was the first keeper in action as he sharply anticipated a flick-on before Dave Kitson could recover his balance to pose a threat inside the Chelsea box.

The Britannia's choir was soon belting out its customary chorus, while a couple of mis-placed balls and a wayward corner from Frank Lampard were greeted with predictable derision.

Chelsea's possession was soon polished and rhythmic, but exploded briefly into life when Michael Ballack let fly from distance to force Sorensen to quickly steady himself before shovelling the ball over his bar.

And Sorensen was thwarting the German from the subsequent corner as he dived low to his right to gather a downward header just as John Terry was closing in for the kill.

City were in trouble when Diao was pulled up for grounding Lampard after stretching to make a tackle 10 yards outside his own area, but Ballack's free-kick cannoned off a head in the wall and behind for a corner.

Stoke were in even bigger trouble after Seyi Olofinjana was dispossessed to hand Lampard the opportunity to chip through for the unmarked Drogba to stride goalwards, but his attempted stab to Sorensen's left was blocked by the keeper's outstretched leg to keep the game scoreless entering the 15th minute.

Ashley Cole drew howls of abuse when body-checking Liam Lawrence to concede a free-kick on Stoke's right, from which the ball was pumped into the box by Andy Griffin for Ballack to apply a vital forehead in glancing beyond a pack of players flooding goalwards.

Normal service was to be resumed, however, as the likes of Diao were called into further fine defensive duties to nullify Chelsea's simmering threat.

Faye then produced a spectacular far-post header to ensure a Lampard free-kick created no serious damage – and just as well because Alex was ghosting in behind with evil intent.

Play rapidly switched from one end to the other as Lawrence and Kitson narrowly failed to stitch something meaningful together inside the Chelsea area, while at the other Sorensen timed his jump to safely prevent Drogba's dinked cross finding an attacking header.

Terry escaped with a lecture after trying – and failing miserably – to wrestle the muscular Mama Sidibe to the floor when the big striker embarrassingly spun the England defender 10 yards inside the Chelsea half.

Sidibe was also winning his fair share of flick-ons towards the Chelsea box, but the visitors were coping pretty well as 30 minutes flashed up on the scoreboard.

Cort's timely presence then blocked a Lampard pile-driver after Bosingwa had cut in from the Stoke left and fended off Cresswell's close attentions in teeing up his senior colleague.

Phil Scolari remained a philosophical onlooker rooted to his bench as Alex took no chances with Kitson in conceding a right-wing corner, but Chelsea escaped serious punishment when Cort nodded back into the mixer for Sidibe to head down and see Cech save comfortably at the base of his near post.

But Stoke were behind a matter of seconds later when Chelsea swept upfield with a string of intricate first-time passes to open up Stoke's defences down the home side's left.

Bosingwa kept pace with the attack to chest down the final pass and fire goawards from an angle, turning just in time to see Griffin helplessly guide in a ball that might just have otherwise flashed across the face of goal.

The home crowd's enthusiasm was dampened for the first time, while hearts were in mouths when Florent Malouda played in Drogba for what would surely have been Chelsea's second had Sorensen not been well placed to kick clear and inadvertently catch the big striker in the process.

The visitors were back on the offensive when Bosingwa was brought down 10 yards outside the City area, but Drogba drifted the subsequent free-kick well over the bar and into a relieved Boothen End to complete his pretty mediocre return in the first 45.

Anelka replaced Solomon Kalou at the restart, but it was Lampard quickly threatening with a low drive that might have troubled Sorensen had Cort not stuck out a toe to deflect narrowly wide.

Sorensen was in real trouble shortly after, however, when Stoke surrendered the ball cheaply for Malouda to let rip with a snorter that the Danish keeper brilliantly diverted against the underside of his bar with an almost reluctant hand flung out towards the ball.

It was all Chelsea in this immediate post-interval passage of play – and Stoke simply had to retain lengthier possession.

At times, the home side were having to rely on the kind of desperate defending which saw Cort absorb a Ballack shot at the climax of yet another sweet Chelsea incursion towards dangerous territory.

Kitson received a generous hand after making way in the 53rd minute, while Ricardo Fuller enjoyed an even greater ovation upon replacing him.

Fuller's presence certainly added a fresh dimension to Stoke's previously subdued attacking intentions, soon winning a corner from which Lawrence plonked his delivery straight down Cech's throat.

But there now promised to be a greater tempo about Stoke's efforts in the final third approaching the hour-mark, while the home crowd was also warming to the possibility of a genuine goal threat from their industrious players.

Sidibe then pressured Cole into a tug to win a free-kick out on Stoke's right, from which the home side won a corner following Chelsea's struggle to properly clear.

City then came their closest yet when Cort met the ball into the box with a firm header that might have found its target had Mikel not been handily placed to nod clear.

Stoke's greater ambition was epitomised when one of their neatest moves of the afternoon climaxed with Griffin cutting in from the right and on to his left foot for a speculative cross shot well over the bar.

Michael Tonge was thrown on for the tiring Lawrence in the 65th minute, but had yet to touch the ball by the time Lampard wrestled possession to help feed Anelka who, from a suspiciously offside position, wafted wastefully over from right of Sorensen's goal.

Chelsea's play was encouragingly sloppy on occasions, but City required greater quality than Sidibe's over-hit through-ball for Fuller as the contest remained in the melting pot.

Fine play from Tonge and Olofinjana briefly threatened to open up the retreating visitors before Fuller chested down and curled well over from at least 20 yards afield.

Faye underlined another terrific performance by implementing his strength to fend off Drogba before using a back-heel to cheekily win the throw.

A fatigued Drogba was substituted immediately afterwards as the destiny of the points remained up for grabs approaching the final quarter-of-an-hour.

Tonge then dinked a fine corner towards the far post for Olofinjana to head downwards and force Cech off his line to snatch the loose ball ahead of Cresswell.

Disaster struck Stoke's gallant efforts and killed the game stone dead in the 77th minute, however, when an uncharacteristic error from Cort gifted Anelka with Chelsea's killer second.

There appeared little menace when Bosingwa swung in a routine and wayward ball from the Chelsea right, but Cort attempted to chest down to Faye and only succeeded in teeing up the waiting Anelka for a pretty routine finish.

Diao responded shortly after with a worthy effort which had Cech's eyes widening before it was deflected away from his goal.

The action switched worryingly as Faye was left recovering his footing brilliantly to foil Malouda's effort, while Ballack cracked the rebound no more than a yard wide of Sorensen's left-hand post.

Chelsea were now oozing confidence, so much so that Terry twice ventured into deep attacking territory after vacating his normal duties at the rear.

It was almost too easy for Chelsea by now as Ballack chested down for Lampard to collect in his stride and almost pick his spot before kicking into the ground to render Sorensen's save easy.

And Lampard arrived on cue again at the end of yet another serene Chelsea move, but Faye was yet again Johnny on the spot to thwart the England midfielder.

A third would have been cruel punishment for a Stoke side leaving the pitch with their dignity intact once more.

Stoke City: 29 Sorensen, 2 Griffin, 3 Higginbotham, 25 Ab Faye, 5 Cort, 7 Lawrence, 18 Diao, 4 Olofinjana, 9 Cresswell, 11 Sidibe, 12 Kitson. Subs: 10 Fuller (Kitson, 53), 23 Tonge (Lawrence, 65), 19 Am Faye (Sidibe, 81). Not used: 1 Simonsen, 6 Whelan, 8 Soares, 33 Sonko.

Chelsea: 1 Cech, 17 Bosingwa, 3 A Cole, 26 Terry, 33 Alex, 21 Kalou, 8 Lampard, 13 Ballack, 12 Mikel, 15 Malouda, 11 Drogba. Subs: 39 Anelka (Kalou, 46), 35 Belletti (Drogba, 73), 19 Ferreria (Ballack, 90). Not used: 40 Hilario, 2 Ivanovic, 16 Sinclair, 18 Bridge.

Referee: M Atkinson (Yorks).

Att:

Yellow cards – Stoke: Griffin (ungentlemanly conduct,56). Chelsea: Malouda (failing to retreat,56) .