Chelsea 7 - 0 Stoke

A crunch home game against Stoke, following a disappointing defeat to Spurs, would normally be a banana skin for the Chelsea of old but not today as the mighty Blues ran in 7 goals for the 3rd time this season to go emphatically back to the top of the league.

Having seen Man U turn over Spurs the previous day, the pressure was on but it didn't show as the Blues played with great tempo from the start and bludgeoned Stoke with a text book lesson in attacking football. No doubt some nit pickers will claim that Kalou's second goal was two footed and should not have stood but that would really be harsh. The questions were asked and the Blues answered them with a hat trick from Kalou, two goals from Lamps and one each for Malouda and Sturridge (his first premiership goal)

The 'in game' tweets went like this

• When was the last time a home game with Stoke prompted such nerves? Ash is back, Bran replaces JT, Ballack holds & Kalou joins the front 3
• Stoke start with 4 centre backs as their back 4 - this will be tough. Lamps drives on 11mins & the block falls to Ash whose shot is parried
• Bennett waves away a stong penalty shout & 2 blatant free kicks on the edge of the box. Drogba has a gr8 header saved by Sorensen on 20mins

• Its all Chelsea but some nervy finishing is the problem tho on 23mins the Drog controls with a back heel & crosses for Kalou to head home

• Anelka's crossfield pass finds Drogba on 30mins & he flicks 1st time 2 Lamps whose drive is parried by Sorensen but Kalou follows in for 2-0

• Ballacks having one of his better games in the holding role. Huth hauls Kalou down in the box on 43mins & Lamps slots home the pen for 3-0

• No change @ 1/2time. Kalou & Cole wriggle into the box on 55 & 57mins to no effect. Kalou whips in a cross on 62min but it misses Drog & Nic

• Kalou beats the offside from a Lamps thru ball on 68min & takes two attempts to get his hat trick - his reward to to be replaced by Joe Cole

• Joe Cole crosses on 72min but Malouda misses from 1yrd out, Ballack blasts over 4mins l8r and Malouda misses again from a sweeping counter

• Hutchinson & Sturridge replace Paulo & Nic on 80mins. Joe Cole finds Lamps with a great cross & he side foots home 4 his 20th of the season ..ed. It was actually Hutchinsons cross !!

• Sturridge is played in by Drogba on 87mins & he rounds the keeper for our 6th. Malouda makes it 7 from a beautiful first time Joe Cole cross 2mins later

Now comes the small matter of a trip to Anfield next week. A win is essential (unless ManU drop points at Sunderland please g-d) and you'd like to think that Rafa's boys would fancy taking things a bit easy to not give ManU the upper hand again. Well ..... you'd like to think that but back in the real world ........