Drogba sings a different tune

Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2: Regime change is unsettling and Petr Cech admits Chelsea remain a team in shock, still struggling to cope with Jose Mourinho's dramatic departure from Stamford Bridge.

"Any decision which is surprising is difficult to take. We need a bit of time to try and forget about it," said the visiting goalkeeper at the end of an afternoon when Avram Grant's side disguised their collective trauma in convincing fashion.

This expertise at camouflaging their true feelings was epitomised by Didier Drogba. Fresh from telling a French magazine he intended to leave a "broken" Chelsea in the summer, the centre-forward summoned up a match-winning performance, not only scoring an accomplished opener but making Middlesbrough's Jonathan Woodgate appear alarmingly poor.

Chelsea's goalkeeper insists Drogba personifies his colleagues' professionalism and commitment to the team ethic. "Didier explained himself, which he has a right to do; everyone has a right to do that, but as long as he plays 100 per cent for the team that's fine," said Cech, who implied the post-Mourinho dressingroom was disconcerted by the former manager's departure rather than terminally divided.

"Of course we are together," he stressed. "Didier's best answer was today on the pitch. He gave absolutely 100 per cent for us and found a crucial goal . . . We've tried to help the new manager and the new coaches by getting good results because the team is always the main focus. We have needed a bit of time but everyone has adapted quickly."

Indeed, an away Champions League win against Valencia allied to Premier League victories at Bolton Wanderers and Boro have possibly enabled Grant to begin persuading his squad Mourinho was not indispensable.

Having worked with Grant, Gary O'Neil - Boro's best player here - does not subscribe to the widely held theories the Israeli is doomed to failure. "I got on really well with Avram at Portsmouth," said the midfielder. "And I'm really pleased to see him doing well. He's definitely got the skills and talent to be a top manager.

"Drogba's fantastic; every ball that goes to him seems to stick," said O'Neil, who could only watch as Woodgate and Chris Riggott became entangled as they both, ill-advisedly, attacked a pass from Florent Malouda, leaving the ball free for Frank Lampard to feed the Ivorian, who took one touch to drift clear of Luke Young and a second to guide an angled shot beyond Mark Schwarzer.

When Lampard tapped a free-kick to Alex, the injured John Terry's impressive understudy beat Schwarzer with an inexorable, game-clinching 35-yard strike.

Economically efficient rather than exhilarating, and alternating between a Mourinho-esque 4-5-1 and 4-3-3, Chelsea seemed suspiciously similar to the counter-attacking ensemble choreographed by the Portuguese. But Grant has been hired to spice up their modus operandi and was not about to waste a golden opportunity to indulge in a little dig at his predecessor.

"I see football as entertainment," he said. "I have an obligation to entertain . . . We need to win and entertain - not like it was before. I don't judge players on what they say but what they do on the pitch, and Didier is playing very well. But if he has said one thing and regrets it that's good.

"If someone has problems the only way to deal with it is to knock on my door and see if we can find a solution. I don't like the other way," said Grant.

• Guardian Service