Valencia 1 Chelsea 2 - Champion League 2007

MATCH REPORT: VALENCIA 1 CHELSEA 2

Group B is wide open again after goals from Joe Cole and Didier Drogba complete a comeback performance of high merit.

With Schalke winning away at Rosenborg, Chelsea now top the table thanks to the third win in our history in Spain.

It was a proper test of Avram Grant's side with Valencia at times carving out some fine attacks - but the new first team coach was aided by being able to pair Carvalho and mask-wearing Terry together for the first time this season in the starting line-up.

Ahead of them was a solid-looking midfield of Mikel, Makelele and Essien with the attack to be carried by Drogba flanked by Joe Cole and Malouda in a 4-3-3 shape.

The were a couple of early attacks by both sides - Silva blasting wide and Essien's diagonal low cross skimming across the danger area.

But then on eight minutes, fortune favoured the home side and an early opener was theirs.

David Villa it was who found the net, his initial run defended by Ferreira but as the right-back, preferred on the night to Belletti, cleared, the ball ricocheted back into the path of Villa who raced through to slot low past Cech.

Chelsea responded with a couple of bright pieces of play, Joe Cole involved, but then it took Cech to prevent a second from Joaquin's shot after Morientes had deceived Terry.

But Chelsea continued to go forward and were rewarded on 20 minutes. Malouda took a pass from Drogba and smashed the ball low into the six yard area where it was diverted into the net. Initially there was a question mark over whether Joe Cole or Valencia left-back Moretti turned it in, the answer not helped by a muted Cole celebration, but replays confirmed the credit goes to the Chelsea man.

The equaliser had taken 19 minutes and soon after, Droba fired over while it took determined blocks from Ashley Cole to deny Morientes and Villa.

The latter was wasteful soon after when the ball ran his way following a Joaquin run.

As the half-hour mark passed, Valencia were enjoying the superior possession but Chelsea were holding firm. A clever, delayed through ball by Essien was almost collected by Drogba who would have been in the clear so both sides made it through to the break with no further damage done.

In the context of an early setback and some confidence-denting recent results, the Blues must have been reasonably satisfied with the first-half showing.

Chelsea began the second-half with two corners, the second nodded wide by Terry. On 53 minutes Valencia won their first corner of the game, Morientes also heading a deep ball wide.

On 56 minutes Joaquin's good ball was collected by Morientes who burst through the backline, only for Villa to take the ball off his toes and plant it in. The celebration was curtailed, a flag was up. The scorer had been offside in the move. Chelsea breathed again.

With Chelsea's extra-man in central midfield keeping that area tight and Valencia's wingers kept in check, the home side were starting to look a little frustrated.

On 68 minutes they made a change, the impressive Morientes making way for 6ft 8in of Serb striker - Nikola Zigic. Before he could even touch the ball, our physical presence up front had lashed in the second goal.

Joe Cole's superb ball had sent Drogba away and in front of his marker, he was uncatchable as he finished low past Hildebrand on 70 minutes.

Drogba saw a 25-yard free-kick pushed away by Hildebrand who had retained his lace in goal despite the return to fitness of Canizares.

The first booking of the game was Marchena on 58 minutes for a chop at Carvalho.

Villa air-kicked in front of goal and Marchena blasted wide as the final five minutes began with Valencia still searching for an equaliser.

Both sides were making the most of their substitutions but with two minutes remaining, Mikel became Chelsea's only booking for taking too long to trot off when his number came up.

In stoppage time, Kalou could have taken the game out of reach but curled a left-foot shot wide after a Drogba burst had ended with the ball falling his way.

Despite a late penalty claim by Valencia and Cech stopping a Baraja shot with the last kick of the game, the Blues had no need to regret that miss.

Chelsea rather like life in the Mestalla!

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Essien (Sidwell 83) Makelele, Mikel (Alex 88); J Cole, Drogba, Malouda (Kalou 84).
Scorers J Cole 20, Drogba 70.
Booked Mikel 88.

Valencia (4-4-2): Hildebrand; Miguel, Albiol, Helguera, Moretti; Joaquin (Arizmendi 88), Albelda (c) (Baraja 74), Marchena, Silva; Vill, Morientes (Zigic 68).
Scorer Villa 10
Booked Marchena 78

REACTION: WIN IS FIRST STEP OF THE WAY

As he was nearing the end of his reflections on a night of victory in Valencia, Avram Grant joked about it being his best game in the Champions League as Chelsea manager.

In a more serious moment, he announced that the morale-boosting win in his fourth game in charge was the first step on a new pathway for the club that employs him.

'I am happy with the winning but I am more happy with the way of the winning,' he declared before leaving the Mestalla for a flight back to London.

'People tell me it was one of the best games away for Chelsea in Europe. I am very pleased with this result because I think it is the start of a new good way.

'I am not surprised. I told everyone before that I was very happy with the attitude of the players in the last two weeks during a very difficult time. We played well in the last two games in the league but this time we finished with 11 players,' he said.

It was certainly one of Chelsea's best nights away in Spain, following last season's win in the same stadium and a 1998 Cup Winners' Cup success against Real Betis as only our third triumph on Spanish soil.

And with the four games in Group B so far this season failing to throw up a single home win, the Champions League qualification campaign is right back on track with Chelsea now a point ahead of Valencia and Schalke.

For Valencia, the inquest has begun on how the same opposition could have scalped them in their own stadium for a second time in quick succession.

'This game was different from the one in April because in that one, we could not reach the goal during the last half of the game,' explained Quique Sanchez Flores, the defeated coach.

'But there are similarities, especially because one team dominates the first-half and the other team the second-half.'

It was home side that Flores believed had enjoyed the clear upper hand before the break. But he bemoaned their inability to 'neutralise' Chelsea's game in the move for our second goal and their failure to finish the game when in the lead, something that he believed Chelsea had done.

'Maybe we could have won the ball back better off their midfield but Chelsea have managed to neutralise our game, and we could not rely on the physical conditions. Players like Makelele and Essien are not made everyday and we cannot compare ourselves to them.

'Even though we have studied Drogba and know how he is playing, he can be lethal. He plays for others, not only himself so he manages to change the situation on the pitch.'

'Didier is a good striker but I don't think that is news for anyone,' said the winning goal scorer's own coach.

'I don't need to tell anyone what we said between us when we talked recently but I was very happy with his attitude. He is willing to give everything to Chelsea and you saw that today.

'We have been trying hard for the last two weeks,' continued Grant. 'Not just me but my assistant Steve Clarke who has been doing a very good job, and all the other staff including the medical staff.

'It has not been easy for them with all the new injuries but we have tried to make things very calm for the players because we know they know how to play football.

'Then when we see the players in the last game, we know their attitude is good but we wanted to keep that, so we needed also a good result.'