ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Blackburn Rovers 0 Chelsea 2: AS SOMEONE whose hissy fits have matched any thrown by Joan Crawford or Mariah Carey, a November rainstorm in Blackburn is hardly a place you would expect Nicolas Anelka to thrive.

These days, however, the Frenchman is far from the caricature of a man who would flounce off to the dressingroom at the hint of a misplaced pass.

Last Tuesday night, after another deluge in Rome, his captain, John Terry, had accused Chelsea of "lacking character and attitude".

The rain may have followed them from the edge of the Apennines to the heart of the Pennines but character and attitude were evident everywhere in a way seldom suggested by the 3-1 defeat in the Stadio Olimpico.

Having denied reports that they plan to abandon Stamford Bridge for a new stadium in Battersea, Chelsea endured the kind of conditions they would face if they relocated to the Norfolk Broads.

On a surface that resembled a fen, they hauled themselves to the summit of the Premier League, level on points with Liverpool but massively ahead on goal difference. Perhaps more significantly in the longer term, Luiz Felipe Scolari celebrated his 60th birthday - an age at which Alex Ferguson believes a manager is close to his peak - eight points clear of Manchester United.

A pitch on which every first-half pass stopped as if the ball were fitted with anti-skid brakes and a back-pass was a form of Russian roulette ought to have acted as a leveller. Yet the only time Chelsea's control was threatened was shortly after the interval when conditions had eased enough to prevent an abandonment.

Then, Frank Lampard burst through a thin defensive screen on the edge of the Blackburn area, throwing up a spray of water as he did so, and Anelka not only timed his run perfectly, he kept his feet to chip the ball beautifully over Paul Robinson's body for the second and decisive goal. It had been as in Moscow, rain as hard if less cold than this that Anelka had squandered the penalty that cost Chelsea the European Cup. His response in the prolonged absence of Didier Drogba - whose injured knee meant he was unfit to travel to Lancashire or share champagne and birthday cake with Scolari - has been to score 11 times this season.

By any logical method of accounting, he might have had five at Ewood Park. Robinson, showing the form that suggests his international career may not be done, made two reaction saves from Anelka's head in the first half and then spread himself when he was clean through to deny the Frenchman a second successive hat-trick. And yet, Blackburn might have lost their goalkeeper in the opening exchanges. As Robinson slid in feet-first to meet Anelka, his leg caught the striker who attempted to remain upright before going over.

That slight delay may have influenced the referee, Chris Foy, but while Anelka has a reputation for many things diving is not one of them. Like an umpire facing a batsman who walks, this only increases the pressure on a referee, although it paled alongside Foy's dilemma whether to continue the match as the rain sluiced down. It was decided by the fourth official asking for a short-term weather forecast that correctly predicted no significant rain after the interval.

Chelsea went into it ahead after receiving the kind of fortune they had largely been denied. Jose Boswinga's shot was hard, speculative and delivered from closer to the centre circle than the 18-yard line but it struck Anelka - whether on the thigh or gloved hand was not clear - deflected past Robinson and crawled over the line. Under Mark Hughes, Blackburn possessed a reputation for a bloody-minded attitude to the bigger clubs that has been largely absent under Paul Ince. Arsenal, Manchester United and now Chelsea have all won at Ewood with comfort and without a victory since mid-September when they won at a St James' Park in a state of civil war, Ince rounded on the Chelsea assistant manager, Ray Wilkins.

Wilkins, in part appointed because of his silky diplomatic skills, had suggested before kick-off that: "Chelsea would have to put up with a game of aggression because that is what Blackburn are about with Paul as their manager."

"For him to come out with that garbage that we would try to put them on their arses is rubbish," said Ince. "We were not that today and I told him in no uncertain terms to get his facts right."

No, Blackburn were not over-physical and they were not over-aggressive but, unlike Anelka, it might have been better had they played up to their reputation.

• Guardian Service