Kalou double helps Chelsea crush Atletico Madrid

Chelsea 4 Atletico Madrid 0. Carlo Ancelotti received the perfect tonic after Chelsea's recent stutter in form which has seen them lose two consecutive games on the road when his charges overwhelmed a pugnacious Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge last night. The result leaves Chelsea just one point from qualification from the group stages and also helped the team's talisman Frank Lampard shake a scoring monkey off his back.

Following the recent problems, Ancelotti took heart from the result: "Maybe the first half was more difficult than the second, but after our first goal we had a good match. We had good attacking, a good transition. Nine points is good. I think we are in control of the group now, but our aim is still to go for first place."

Ancelotti took the opportunity to rejig his defence, as much to punish recent errors in the Premier League as anything, and Ricardo Carvalho gave way for Branislav Ivanovic alongside John Terry in the heart of the Blues' back-four.

The visitors belied their recent form, with one solitary point in La Liga and the victims of a mugging by Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia, and could have had an early goal courtesy of a header from Manchester United reject Diego Forlan, but Petr Cech was sharp enough to deny him. Sergio Aguero, a rumoured Chelsea target over summer, also went close early on.

Salomon Kalou gave a hint of his hunger early on, muffing a close finish which was ruled offside just after the ten-minute mark, but he had his chance later in the half. With five minutes until the interval, a cutback from Ashley Cole fell to Kalou and he made no mistakes this time.

Chelsea came out after half-time looking for the comprehensive result that would relocate their imperious form of the early season, and Nicolas Anelka soon stung the palms of Sergio Asenjo with a fierce shot. Kalou got his just rewards seven minutes in when he headed home a Lampard set-piece, and with 20 minutes to go the England man scored his first goal since mid August with a cool low shot into the net.

The game became increasingly fractious as Madrid tried to break through but a resurgent Chelsea defence snaffled up everything. There was even time for a fourth goal, when a set-piece from Florent Malouda was headed past Asenjo by defender Luis Perea. ·