Chelsea against Blackburn Rovers

Nzonzi lets one fly from the edge of the box but Frank Lampard is alert and blocks his effort. Chelsea really have done a superb job all over the pitch this evening.

Ballack drives another shot wide. After conceding six at Arsenal and five today, Sam Allardyce won't be amused to see that his next away game comes at Old Trafford.

A volley from 20 yards from Michael Ballack soars wide. But when you are 5-0 up, why not try something like that?

Ryan Nelsen produces a strong tackle to nick the ball away from Anelka as the striker bursts into the box.

My bad, it is Joe Cole who comes off so Chelsea are adopting an even more attacking shape.

Chelsea are readying Daniel Sturridge so it looks as though either Drogba or Anelka will be afforded a bit of a rest.

Anelka forces Robinson into another stop when unleashing a fierce drive from outside the box. The 'keeper has really earned his money today.

Hoillett just about sums up Blackburn's afternoon with a woeful shot. Maybe it was a pass. Either way it was horrendous.

Another lovely move from Chelsea fails to pay dividends as Ballack's shot is blocked. The Blues are really in their element today.

Now Lampard releases Ivanovic with a perfect through-ball but the full back overstretches and gets his cross all wrong.

Nicolas Anelka finds Frank Lampard with a glorious reverse pass but the midfielder cannot pick out a Chelsea shirt.

Junior Hoillett replaces Morten Gamst Pedersen for Blackburn.

That fifth goal appears to have provoked a semblance of a reaction from Rovers who look a bit more sprightly. Too little, too late.

Ancelotti introduces Jeffrey Bruma and the young Dutchman makes his debut when replacing Ricardo Carvalho.

Blackburn burst forward and Martin Olsson chips the ball over the stranded Cech, but just when the visitors look like scoring, back comes John Terry to head off the line.

GOAL! Michael Ballack swings in a corner and Didier Drogba gets ahead of his man to flick a header past Paul Robinson. This is a bit embarrassing for Blackburn. Horrible defending from Ryan Nelsen.

El Hadji Diouf produces a fine saving tackle to deny Frank Lampard a hat-trick as Chelsea continue to pour forward.

Robinson fells Drogba in the box but the ball was already running away from the striker and a penalty is avoided. Chelsea get a corner though and Rovers clear.

This could be a rout of the highest order if Chelsea continue in this fashion. Ancelotti replaces Belletti with Paulo Ferreira.

GOAL! Lampard claims his second when burying the ball in the back of the net. That was emphatic.

PENALTY FOR CHELSEA! Drogba makes the most of a challenge from Ryan Nelsen, but it was a pen.

With the Chelsea crowd shouting "shoot!" Anelka does just that and has his effort blocked.

Blackburn enjoy a rare chance as a goalmouth scramble ensues in the Chelsea box. Kalinic cannot get a shot away though.

Stamford Bridge is rocking after that superb start to the second half for the home side.

Now Anelka forces Robinson into an awkward save as he lets fly with a deflected effort from 20 yards. Chelsea can sense a big scoreline here, you feel. Anelka tries his luck again from inside the box.

Blackburn respond by bringing on Nikola Kalinic in place of Jason Roberts.

GOAL! That is most definitely that. Blackburn fail to close down Michael Essien and he unleashes a wicked shot from 25 yards that curls past Paul Robinson. Wow.

So, how can Blackburn respond? The game already looks beyond them and Cech has had an easy afternoon. It is a long way back from here.

GOAL! Frank Lampard nets his second in two games - his first league goal from open play since April - when Blackburn fail to clear a Drogba cross and the ball rolls into the path of the midfielder.

Givet and his fellow Blackburn defenders have already been placed under some pressure after the restart, this looks worrying.

KICK OFF Blackburn get things back underway.

HALF TIME Gael Givet's own goal separates the sides at Stamford Bridge. Back in 15 mins!

Robinson then denies Drogba from the subsequent corner, grabbing onto the striker's header. The Rovers 'keeper has been very impressive today.

Morten Gamst Pedersen is shown a yellow card for a sneaky pull on Branislav Ivanovic's shirt. Lampard takes the free-kick and when the ball comes to Terry, his volley draws an outstanding save from Paul Robinson.

Joe Cole looks lively when carrying the ball 15 yards but his attempted through-ball is cut out by the Blackburn backline.

Blackburn have the chance to test Cech but Emerton's free-kick is too deep and the 'keeper catches with ease.

But it is Drogba who takes it and he sends a weak shot into the wall. The ball bounces out to Lampard who then hoofs it wide. That was pretty useless all round.

Keith Andrews concedes a free-kick when having a pull of Drogba's shirt and Ballack and Lampard look interested...

Now Anelka collects a Lampard pass, comes inside Lars Jacobsen and rifles a shot into the side netting. That had Robinson scrambling.

Lampard takes possession of the ball some 30 yards from goal and assesses his options, before blasting a speculative shot wide of the post.

Paul Robinson only just succeeds in turning the ball over the bar when Drogba produces a fierce shot from 20 yards. That almost caught the 'keeper by surprise.

Cech comes out to try and catch a long throw but completely misses the ball. Chelsea were lucky to get away with that and it is another dodgy moment from Cech who has been guilty of a few in the past 12 months.

Steven Reid comes off the bench to warm up on the touchline. Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni questioned whether the midfielder's career was approaching an abrupt end this week, deeply angering Sam Allardyce.

A lovely flowing move from Chelsea comes to an end when Robinson charges off his line to block Anelka's shot with his chest. An excellent save but the move deserved a goal.

Chelsea continue to pepper the Blackburn goal and Frank Lampard meets a Ballack cross, directing his header narrowly wide of the post. Carlo Ancelotti clearly felt he should have scored.

The crowd bellows for Essien to shoot when 25 yards from goal and he obliges, firing his effort high over the bar.

Cech comes confidently off his line to claim a deep free-kick. The 'keeper has been rarely troubled so far today.

Good work from Jason Roberts as he lays the ball off to Pedersen, but the winger blasts his low shot wide of the post.

Joe Cole is showing some of his trademark class at times in this game and sprays the ball around the final third with confidence. That is good to see after his lengthy absence.

Nzonzi loses possession to Ballack and the German's ferocious shot smacks into the side of Givet's head, knocking the defender down. Not a good afternoon for him so far.

A great chance for Drogba! He controls in the box and appears to have the goal at his mercy, but gets his shot all wrong and skews it well wide.

That was harsh on Givet, who had to intervene as Drogba was waiting to tap in if the ball came to him. Very unlucky.

GOAL! Disaster for Gael Givet (I told he was one to watch). Ballack played in Anelka with a lovely ball into the left channel and when the Frenchman's cross comes into the box, Givet slides the ball into his own net.

Joe Cole plays a neat one-two with Frank Lampard but then rolls a pass into the path of Robinson. That was a wasted opportunity.

Blackburn have a rare chance to threaten when Brett Emerton lines up a free-kick from the left but his delivery is poor and Petr Cech deals with it easily.

Gael Givet is forced into making an emergency clearance after Branislav Ivanovic darts past Morten Gamst Pedersen and whips in a dangerous cross.

Blackburn are not seeing a lot of the ball and that will wory Big Sam. Cole slips in Anelka with a neat backheel but Robinson comes and claims the loose ball.

Now Lampard fires in a free-kick from 20 yards but he clips his shot over the bar. That was a bit disappointing.

Lampard feints to shoot and plays in Drogba, who crosses for Ballack. However, the German cannot get a proper shot away.

Frank Lampard, who ended his ten-game goalless run against Atletico, takes aim from 25 yards and sends a lovely shot soaring just wide of the far post. That would have been a lovely goal.

Carvalho goes off for treatment but he looks okay and should continue.

Ouch. Ricardo Carvalho looks in pain after falling from a height and landing square on his left shoulder. That will have hurt.

Essien feeds Joe Cole and he looks to flick the ball to Anelka, but he fails to find the French forward.

Didier Drogba chases onto a long ball forward but Paul Robinson is off his line quickly to intercept.

Ricardo Carvalho sticks out a leg to halt Morten Gamst Pedersen who appeared to be readying himself for a shot. This is a big game for Carvalho after he was dropped/rested for the 4-0 win over Atletico.

Ray Wilkins appears to be having words with the fourth official, Andy D'Urso, but as yet there is no indication as to the nature of their discussion. Complaining that referee Alan Wiley looks tired, perhaps?

Chelsea have been comfortable in the opening exchanges and Drogba looks in the mood. That could be very bad news for the visitors.

Just 30 seconds in and Joe Cole should have scored! Frank Lampard chipped the ball into the box and eight yards out, completely unmarked, Cole headed wide. He can be excused a bit of rustiness I guess.

KICK OFF! Chelsea get proceedings underway at Stamford Bridge and Carlo Ancelotti is on the bench after travelling back from visiting his sick father in Italy.

The two teams emerge from the tunnel and Ricardo Carvalho shares a joke with his former Porto team-mate, Benni McCarthy, who is on the bench for Rovers today.

We are just five minutes away from kick-off at Stamford Bridge, so don't go anywhere...

One more stat for you (well technically two): Chelsea are unbeaten in their past 15 games at home, winning six in a row. Rovers have lost their past eight away games. Oh dear.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Gael Givet could be a player to watch. Six of the eight goals that Chelsea have conceded this season have come from opposition defenders.

It will be a tough task for Rovers today but Chelsea have looked vulnerable at set-pieces recently, conceding twice against Villa, and Sam Allardyce is the master of exploiting such situations.

Chelsea will return to the top of the table with a win today and the stats are certainly in their favour. They have won 11 of their past 13 games against Rovers. Indeed, Blackburn haven't even scored in the past six meetings.

The Blackburn squad has been suffering from flu and their subs bench demonstrates as much. Chelsea are missing both their regular full backs, Bosingwa and Cole, but Joe Cole starts his first Premier League game since January. FULL TEAMS BELOW.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Chelsea's home game with Blackburn Rovers.

GOAL! Michael Ballack swings in a corner and Didier Drogba gets ahead of his man to flick a header past Paul Robinson. This is a bit embarrassing for Blackburn. Horrible defending from Ryan Nelsen.

El Hadji Diouf produces a fine saving tackle to deny Frank Lampard a hat-trick as Chelsea continue to pour forward.

Robinson fells Drogba in the box but the ball was already running away from the striker and a penalty is avoided. Chelsea get a corner though and Rovers clear.

This could be a rout of the highest order if Chelsea continue in this fashion. Ancelotti replaces Belletti with Paulo Ferreira.

GOAL! Lampard claims his second when burying the ball in the back of the net. That was emphatic.

PENALTY FOR CHELSEA! Drogba makes the most of a challenge from Ryan Nelsen, but it was a pen.

With the Chelsea crowd shouting "shoot!" Anelka does just that and has his effort blocked.

Blackburn enjoy a rare chance as a goalmouth scramble ensues in the Chelsea box. Kalinic cannot get a shot away though.

Stamford Bridge is rocking after that superb start to the second half for the home side.

Now Anelka forces Robinson into an awkward save as he lets fly with a deflected effort from 20 yards. Chelsea can sense a big scoreline here, you feel. Anelka tries his luck again from inside the box.

Blackburn respond by bringing on Nikola Kalinic in place of Jason Roberts.

GOAL! That is most definitely that. Blackburn fail to close down Michael Essien and he unleashes a wicked shot from 25 yards that curls past Paul Robinson. Wow.

So, how can Blackburn respond? The game already looks beyond them and Cech has had an easy afternoon. It is a long way back from here.

GOAL! Frank Lampard nets his second in two games - his first league goal from open play since April - when Blackburn fail to clear a Drogba cross and the ball rolls into the path of the midfielder.

Givet and his fellow Blackburn defenders have already been placed under some pressure after the restart, this looks worrying.

KICK OFF Blackburn get things back underway.

HALF TIME Gael Givet's own goal separates the sides at Stamford Bridge. Back in 15 mins!

Robinson then denies Drogba from the subsequent corner, grabbing onto the striker's header. The Rovers 'keeper has been very impressive today.

Morten Gamst Pedersen is shown a yellow card for a sneaky pull on Branislav Ivanovic's shirt. Lampard takes the free-kick and when the ball comes to Terry, his volley draws an outstanding save from Paul Robinson.

Joe Cole looks lively when carrying the ball 15 yards but his attempted through-ball is cut out by the Blackburn backline.

Blackburn have the chance to test Cech but Emerton's free-kick is too deep and the 'keeper catches with ease.

But it is Drogba who takes it and he sends a weak shot into the wall. The ball bounces out to Lampard who then hoofs it wide. That was pretty useless all round.

Keith Andrews concedes a free-kick when having a pull of Drogba's shirt and Ballack and Lampard look interested...

Now Anelka collects a Lampard pass, comes inside Lars Jacobsen and rifles a shot into the side netting. That had Robinson scrambling.

Lampard takes possession of the ball some 30 yards from goal and assesses his options, before blasting a speculative shot wide of the post.

Paul Robinson only just succeeds in turning the ball over the bar when Drogba produces a fierce shot from 20 yards. That almost caught the 'keeper by surprise.

Cech comes out to try and catch a long throw but completely misses the ball. Chelsea were lucky to get away with that and it is another dodgy moment from Cech who has been guilty of a few in the past 12 months.

Steven Reid comes off the bench to warm up on the touchline. Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni questioned whether the midfielder's career was approaching an abrupt end this week, deeply angering Sam Allardyce.

A lovely flowing move from Chelsea comes to an end when Robinson charges off his line to block Anelka's shot with his chest. An excellent save but the move deserved a goal.

Chelsea continue to pepper the Blackburn goal and Frank Lampard meets a Ballack cross, directing his header narrowly wide of the post. Carlo Ancelotti clearly felt he should have scored.

The crowd bellows for Essien to shoot when 25 yards from goal and he obliges, firing his effort high over the bar.

Cech comes confidently off his line to claim a deep free-kick. The 'keeper has been rarely troubled so far today.

Good work from Jason Roberts as he lays the ball off to Pedersen, but the winger blasts his low shot wide of the post.

Joe Cole is showing some of his trademark class at times in this game and sprays the ball around the final third with confidence. That is good to see after his lengthy absence.

Nzonzi loses possession to Ballack and the German's ferocious shot smacks into the side of Givet's head, knocking the defender down. Not a good afternoon for him so far.

A great chance for Drogba! He controls in the box and appears to have the goal at his mercy, but gets his shot all wrong and skews it well wide.

That was harsh on Givet, who had to intervene as Drogba was waiting to tap in if the ball came to him. Very unlucky.

GOAL! Disaster for Gael Givet (I told he was one to watch). Ballack played in Anelka with a lovely ball into the left channel and when the Frenchman's cross comes into the box, Givet slides the ball into his own net.

Joe Cole plays a neat one-two with Frank Lampard but then rolls a pass into the path of Robinson. That was a wasted opportunity.

Blackburn have a rare chance to threaten when Brett Emerton lines up a free-kick from the left but his delivery is poor and Petr Cech deals with it easily.

Gael Givet is forced into making an emergency clearance after Branislav Ivanovic darts past Morten Gamst Pedersen and whips in a dangerous cross.

Blackburn are not seeing a lot of the ball and that will wory Big Sam. Cole slips in Anelka with a neat backheel but Robinson comes and claims the loose ball.

Now Lampard fires in a free-kick from 20 yards but he clips his shot over the bar. That was a bit disappointing.

Lampard feints to shoot and plays in Drogba, who crosses for Ballack. However, the German cannot get a proper shot away.

Frank Lampard, who ended his ten-game goalless run against Atletico, takes aim from 25 yards and sends a lovely shot soaring just wide of the far post. That would have been a lovely goal.

Carvalho goes off for treatment but he looks okay and should continue.

Ouch. Ricardo Carvalho looks in pain after falling from a height and landing square on his left shoulder. That will have hurt.

Essien feeds Joe Cole and he looks to flick the ball to Anelka, but he fails to find the French forward.

Didier Drogba chases onto a long ball forward but Paul Robinson is off his line quickly to intercept.

Ricardo Carvalho sticks out a leg to halt Morten Gamst Pedersen who appeared to be readying himself for a shot. This is a big game for Carvalho after he was dropped/rested for the 4-0 win over Atletico.

Ray Wilkins appears to be having words with the fourth official, Andy D'Urso, but as yet there is no indication as to the nature of their discussion. Complaining that referee Alan Wiley looks tired, perhaps?

Chelsea have been comfortable in the opening exchanges and Drogba looks in the mood. That could be very bad news for the visitors.

Just 30 seconds in and Joe Cole should have scored! Frank Lampard chipped the ball into the box and eight yards out, completely unmarked, Cole headed wide. He can be excused a bit of rustiness I guess.

KICK OFF! Chelsea get proceedings underway at Stamford Bridge and Carlo Ancelotti is on the bench after travelling back from visiting his sick father in Italy.

The two teams emerge from the tunnel and Ricardo Carvalho shares a joke with his former Porto team-mate, Benni McCarthy, who is on the bench for Rovers today.

We are just five minutes away from kick-off at Stamford Bridge, so don't go anywhere...

One more stat for you (well technically two): Chelsea are unbeaten in their past 15 games at home, winning six in a row. Rovers have lost their past eight away games. Oh dear.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Gael Givet could be a player to watch. Six of the eight goals that Chelsea have conceded this season have come from opposition defenders.

It will be a tough task for Rovers today but Chelsea have looked vulnerable at set-pieces recently, conceding twice against Villa, and Sam Allardyce is the master of exploiting such situations.

Chelsea will return to the top of the table with a win today and the stats are certainly in their favour. They have won 11 of their past 13 games against Rovers. Indeed, Blackburn haven't even scored in the past six meetings.

The Blackburn squad has been suffering from flu and their subs bench demonstrates as much. Chelsea are missing both their regular full backs, Bosingwa and Cole, but Joe Cole starts his first Premier League game since January. FULL TEAMS BELOW.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Chelsea's home game with Blackburn Rovers.