Chelsea 1 - 0 Porto

Chelsea defeated FC Porto 1 - 0 in the UEFA Champions League last night. Nicolas Anelka proved Chelsea can survive and prosper without banned Didier Drogba as the France international settled their opening Champions League qualifying game against Porto with a second half winner.

Anelka, given the task of filling a lone role in attack in the absence of the suspended Ivory Coast international, struck three minutes after the interval to dispel any lingering doubts that Chelsea cannot cope without the talismanic Drogba.

Drogba is banned for the first three Group D games following his foul-mouthed rant after the semi-final defeat to Barcelona last season, but Anelka, as he has so often done in the past, made the most of his opportunity to shine.

For the first time in the game, Carlo Ancelotti's side looked distinctly vulnerable as Porto launched a succession of counter-attacks.

They almost equalised when Guarin tested Cech with a powerful drive in the 75th minute and the Chelsea goalkeeper then produced another superb save to prevent substitute Silvestre Varela from finding the net with an angled drive.

It was an anxious time for the home side and Ancelotti was quick to see the danger, taking off Kalou and replacing him with defender Juliano Belletti.

Regarding the win, Ancelotti claimed the result was good, but added that the performance was not worthy of commendation. However, he claimed that Porto were the toughest contenders in their group, so it was important to start by accumulating maximum points in the first round of group action.

Regarding the performance of Salomon Kalou, who was deputising for the suspended Didier Drogba, Ancelott said: "Didier is an important player for us but Kalou did a very good job.

"Nicolas is a great player. He can play without Didier and with Didier. He has no problem."

Chelsea 2 - 1 Hull City

Chelsea have won!

Two goals from Didier Drogba was enough to seal the win. He missed a few chances but made up for it with a second superb goal in the last dying minutes of the game.

Chelsea won because of Drogba, who was the game’s towering presence and the only one who looked likely to beat Hull’s excellent defence. It might seem a cliche to say the centre-forward is worth his weight in gold but in this team, in this league, that might not be far from the truth. His first goal was a brilliant free kick and though he had the good grace to say the winner was lucky, it was still a delightfully skillful cross that might have made a goal for Salomon Kalou had it not sneaked in.

Chelsea's happy habit for opening day success continues but it needed a stoppage-time winner from Didier Drogba. And what a winner it was too, scored from what is traditionally termed an impossible angle - the second of what will be Goal of the Month contenders from the Ivorian.