Chelsea show a lethal patience

SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP F: Chelsea 4 Spartak Moscow 1:CHELSEA WERE quietly formidable in securing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

This display was awash with know-how and calmness. These are people with perspective who can record a victory without tapping supplies of energies that are hoarded for other competitions.

Even so, they will be peeved the visitors scored a late goal through substitute Nikita Bazhenov, the first Petr Cech has conceded in 956 minutes at this ground – since Aston Vllla scored in March. There was still a riposte here when Branislav Ivanovic knocked in his second in stoppage time.

Chelsea chose to draw on the reserves of credit available to them after banking nine points from the first three matches in Group F. John Terry was named as a substitute with manager Carlo Ancelotti mindful Sunday’s fixture at Anfield could endanger Chelsea’s unbeaten record in the Premier League this season.

Spartak Moscow may have lost to Chelsea at home, but they had been competent enough to win the two previous games in the group. Prior to this match it had suited both managers to dwell on the second half of the tie at the Luzhniki stadium. Valeri Karpin drew comfort from his side’s improvement while Ancelotti employed the memory of that period to warn against complacency.

Purposeful attacking on the right after eight minutes saw Evgeni Makeev and Nicolas Pareja disturb Chelsea before the former Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady bent a drive wide.

Finesse was hard to come by at first, a curler by Nicolas Anelka that went past the far post in the 15th minute at least showed craft and imagination. A half-hit drive from Drogba followed shortly after.

The Ivorian had been absent from the earlier group fixtures through a suspension incurred for the red card in last season’s match with Internazionale at Stamford Bridge, and then illness. There was an incentive to make up for lost time and he also sported the captain’s armband.

Ancelotti’s squad contains such experience that patience comes naturally even if their finishing lacked ruthlessness, with Drogba heading over from a Yuri Zhirkov corner kick.

It was Karpin’s men who came closest to a goal in the first half, when midfielder Alex hit a drive that had Cech diving to his right to parry.

There was sufficient intensity, too, for Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi and Dmitri Kombarov each to receive a booking in separate incidents.

At half-time, this was the one Champions League fixture of the night to lack a goal. There had been a hint of a breakthrough when Ivanovic flicked on a Zhirkov corner kick but Alex scuffed the ball over the bar in the 34th minute.

Four minutes after the interval, Salomon Kalou drew opponents with him as he moved from the flank to the centre and the Ivorian then put a reverse pass back to Anelka. From an angle on the right the striker forced home a drive at the near post.

Spartak goalkeeper Andriy Dykan had been unimpressive in the incident, but Karpin’s players were not immediately disheartened. News of Marseille’s easy win elsewhere in the group would have reached them and they understood progress to the last 16 is not to be taken for granted, even if they will be at home when they meet Zilina in their next fixture.

Once they have the lead, Chelsea show a lethal patience and the lead was extended efficiently. Drogba ran at the right-back Makeev, was brought down by him and got up to slot away the penalty in the 62nd minute.

The relevance of this fixture had vanished for Spartak, who were breached once more by a downward header by Ivanovic from a Drogba free-kick.

This had been no onslaught by the victors yet the display was crammed with know-how and technique.

Such efficiency must chill the blood of most opponents.

• Guardian Service

CHELSEA:Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Alex, Cole, Mikel (McEachran 68), Ramires, Zhirkov, Kalou, Drogba (Sturridge 76), Anelka (Kakuta 76). Subs not used: Turnbull, Terry, Van Aanholt, Bruma. Booked:Mikel.

SPARTAK MOSCOW:Dikan, Ivanov, Pareja, Suchy, Makeev, Ibson, Shyeshukov (Drincic 67), McGeady (Bazhenov 79), Alex (Kozlov 68), Dmitri Kombarov, Welliton. Subs not used: Belenov, Sabitov, Khodyrev, Ananidze. Booked:Dmitri Kombarov, Ivanov.

Referee:Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).