[CL] Chelsea 4 Atletico 0
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Chelsea 4 Atletico 0
KING SALOMON ... two-goal Kalou gets up high to put Chelsea 2-0 up
CHELSEA tore Atletico Madrid apart to motor towards the knockout stage of the Champions League.
Salomon Kalou's double, a Frank Lampard special and a late own goal left the Spaniards sparko at Stamford Bridge.
Carlo Ancelotti's men top Group D with a maximum nine points from three games - and they can secure qualification to the next phase in Madrid in a fortnight.
The result was a much-needed boost for the Londoners following their defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend.
Stamford Bridge did its best to lift the Blues and the football quickly matched the lively atmosphere.
Juliano Belletti's poor cross inside the opening 60 seconds was probably as a result of his disbelief that he was given so much space down the Chelsea right.
His next centre a minute later found the head of Kalou but he headed wide.
Atletico responded and Diego Forlan twice forced Petr Cech to work, while Sergio Aguero found the side-netting.
Kalou produced an unbelievable miss 12 yards out after a slick passing move had bamboozled the Spanish backline, leaving the Ivorian in front of goal with the keeper badly exposed. But with half the goal to aim at, Kalou dragged his effort wide.
Kalou was then lucky to escape conceding a penalty after tugging away at his man in the box.
Cech palmed away Forlan's right-footed drive before Atletico keeper Sergio Asenjo repelled a similar effort from Kalou.
But the Chelsea man finally got his name on the scoresheet just before the break as another slick Blues move saw Ashley Cole exchange passes with Frank Lampard before his well-directed pass found Kalou to slide the ball home.
Asenjo denied the lively Nicolas Anelka at the start of the second half but on 52 minutes the Spanish net was breached again as Kalou converted a header from a corner.
Cech used his legs to thwart Aguero after the Argie had raced through.
But Atletico were killed off on 69 minutes when Lampard grabbed his first Blues goal since August 18. He played a one-two with Michael Essien before drilling inside the near post from 25 yards.
Chelsea cruised to the final whistle but Louis Perea's own goal in injury-time added the gloss.
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