Lampard penalty puts Chelsea back on top

Chelsea 2 Portsmouth 1. Chelsea re-established their lead at the top of the table thanks to Frank Lampard's late penalty which earned them three points against Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge.

The result may suggest that the Blues' recent wobble is behind them, but it was another unconvincing performance from Carlo Ancelotti's men, and Portsmouth will feel they deserved at least a point from the game.

Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant, now in charge of Pompey, was given a warm reception by the Stamford Bridge crowd, but he almost ruined their evening as the visitors threatened an upset in the second half.

The Londoners dominated the early exchanges and duly took the lead when Nicolas Anelka fired home on 23 minutes after a powerful run from defender Alex, who was chosen along side John Terry ahead of Ricardo Carvalho.

Petr Cech has been under scrutiny in recent weeks and he gave his critics more ammunition when he spilled a Frederic Piquionne free kick after 35 minutes, but Hermann Hreidarsson could not control the rebound.

In the second half Chelsea took their foot off the gas and Portsmouth came back into the game. Their equaliser, almost inevitably, came from a set-piece. Jamie O'Hara's 30-yard free-kick first hit the wall and then Ashley Cole, before falling to Piquionne who beat Cech with a powerful finish.

With the home fans getting restless and the side clearly missing the presence of injured Didier Drogba up front, Ancelotti introduced Joe Cole, who added some much needed flair and invention to the midfield.

The winner arrived in the 79th minute when Branislav Ivanovic was brought down in the box and Lampard converted the penalty.

Lampard's miss against Manchester City marked the moment when Chelsea's blip began. The Blues will be hoping that his latest penalty marks the moment that it ended. ·