The Times
August 13, 2007

Mourinho unleashes his entertainers
Chelsea 3 Birmingham 2

Russell Kempson at Stamford Bridge

A brave new era dawned at Stamford Bridge yesterday. José Mourinho,
tired of the constant sniping from the style police, unveiled his plan
for entertainment instead of containment and the result was not only a
Chelsea victory but also, more surprisingly, an all-action goalfest.

It was not quite thrill-a-minute — Mourinho could never be accused of
throwing caution completely to the wind — and Roman Abramovich, the
Chelsea owner, was pictured gloomily resting his chin in his hands
near the end. Yet if this is the way forward for Chelsea, with
Mourinho's midfield diamond abandoned in favour of marauding wingers
and will-o'-the-wisp forwards, the chase for the Barclays Premier
League title could take on a more vibrant tone this season. A less
predictable Chelsea could prove an exceptionally dangerous Chelsea.

Praised afterwards for his fresh and attractive approach, the Chelsea
manager introduced a note of caution. "It was too much, too much,"
Mourinho said, laughing. Maybe his players had taken him too literally
and will be advised to ease back on the pedal when they make the short
trip to Reading on Wednesday night.

Whatever the instructions, it made for an absorbing spectacle.
Birmingham City did their bit, too, showing little fear on their
return from the Coca-Cola Championship and contributing significantly
to the thrust and counter-thrust.

Colin Doyle, the Birmingham goalkeeper, played a role he would rather
forget, conceding Chelsea's first and third goals when stronger hands
might have kept out the efforts of Claudio Pizarro and Michael Essien.
Still, it all added to the colourful mix, a welcome change from some
of the sterile offerings at the Bridge last season.

"I would have preferred it if we had scored five or six goals and won
in a different way," Mourinho said. "But we played great attacking
football and Birmingham were good as well. They came with spirit, they
came to play. They scored two and could have had three or four – we
scored three and could have had six or seven. And the wingers produced
incredible football."

Those wingers held the key. Shaun Wright-Phillips, reborn after two
in-and-out seasons, sped along the right flank and Florent Malouda,
the £13.5 million buy from Lyons, did the same on the left. With
Pizarro — on his debut, like Malouda — and Salomon Kalou flitting
everywhere up front, the effect was mesmerising.

Not that Chelsea were perfect and nor will they be until John Terry,
their captain and rock, returns to the heart of their defence. Had
Terry been on hand in the fifteenth minute, Liam Ridgewell might not
have been allowed to flick on Gary McSheffrey's free kick or Mikael
Forssell, the former Chelsea striker, given space to glance in a
header.

Pizarro equalised three minutes later, with help from Doyle, while
Malouda started and finished the move that led to Chelsea going ahead.
The first half reached an explosive conclusion when Olivier Kapo
almost burst the net with his equaliser.

"We gave it a go," Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, said. "We were
determined to do that. I was just disappointed at conceding some soft
goals. You need your goalkeeper to be your best player when you come
here but, unfortunately, Colin had one of those days." Doyle erred
again shortly after half-time, failing to palm away Essien's drive,
and Chelsea had chances to increase their winning margin.

For Mourinho, not only plaudits but also another record. It was
Chelsea's 64th successive league match at home without defeat, beating
the sequence set by Bob Paisley's Liverpool from February 1978 to
December 1980. With Chelsea and FC Porto, his previous club, Mourinho
has gone 96 home league games without defeat, although the Portuguese
was getting a little ahead of himself when wrongly adding three to the
figure in his programme notes.

Bring on the century? "I would love to arrive on 100," Mourinho said.
More to the point, bring on fancy football. Welcome to the new
Pleasuredome of the Premier League. At this rate, Chelsea could get
themselves a good reputation.

How they rated

Chelsea 4-1-3-2

P Cech 5
G Johnson 3
T Ben Haim 4
R Carvalho Y 5
A Cole 5
M Essien Y 7
S Wright-Phillips 8
F Lampard 6
F Malouda 8
C Pizarro 6
S Kalou 6

Substitutes D Drogba 6 (for Pizarro, 64min), J O Mikel 6 (Essien, 69),
S Sidwell (Malouda, 82) Not used C Cudicini, J Cole

Birmingham 4-4-1-1

C Doyle 3
S Kelly 5
J Djourou 5
L Ridgewell 5
F Queudrue 3
S Larsson Y 6
F Muamba 5
M Nafti 6
G McSheffrey 6
O Kapo 7
M Forssell 6

Substitutes S Parnaby 4 (for Queudrue, 51min), C Jerome 5 (McSheffrey,
69), D de Ridder (Nafti, 75) Not used Maik Taylor, G O'Connor

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Telegraph:

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea make history in style
By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea (2) 3 Birmingham (2) 2

Chelsea yesterday re-wrote the record books, and filled more than a
few scrap-books with images and reports of scintillating football. How
fitting that in a thrilling game that was a throwback to a more
expressive era, Chelsea set a new league record of 64 games unbeaten,
breaking the mark set between 1978 and 1981 by those fine Liverpool
sides containing Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen.

"Everyone knows the record belonged to all those great Liverpool
players,'' a delighted Jose Mourinho said afterwards. "Now it belongs
to [John] Terry, [Frank] Lampard and [Eidur] Gudjohnsen, and all the
guys who contributed. This was a very good way to celebrate.''

Now that's entertainment. Roman Abramovich has apparently been hoping
for more style and Chelsea's owner cannot have been disappointed here.
With Shaun Wright-Phillips, that high-speed spinning top, topping the
bill, Mourinho's players put on a west London show that could have
graced the West End.

Chelsea were terrific, switching between 4-4-2 and 4-2-4 with blue
shirts swamping Birmingham at times. Claudio Pizarro struck an
excellent first for Chelsea; the Peruvian's father was a naval
officer, so taking responsibility at the Bridge clearly runs in the
family. Florent Malouda and Michael Essien also found the mark and
Chelsea could easily have had more.

"There was too much entertainment,'' Mourinho smiled. "We could have
scored six or seven. The wingers produced incredible football, and the
strikers played with great dynamic.''

Excitement levels were also heightened by the positive input of Steve
Bruce's visitors. Mikael Forssell and the skilful Olivier Kapo both
scored and troubled Chelsea throughout. "We looked a threat,'' Bruce
said. "I have been here before and played 1-9-1 and it didn't work. If
you sit back, Chelsea will eventually roll over you. We had a go.''

They certainly did, seizing the lead after 15 minutes. The Bridge
afforded Forssell a good reception, and their old boy soon reminded
them of his talent. When Liam Ridgewell helped on Gary McSheffrey's
free-kick, Forssell flicked the ball past Petr Cech.

"Forssell is like signing a new player,'' said Bruce of a striker
bedevilled by injuries. "To have a natural goalscorer will be
invaluable for us.'' Commendably, the Finn refused to celebrate his
goal out of respect to Chelsea fans.

Birmingham's own cheers soon died in their throats, as Chelsea came
storming back with a magnificent move. Essien drilled the ball at the
lively Wright-Phillips, who exchanged passes with Malouda. The England
winger sped on and cut the ball back perfectly for Pizarro, who scored
from 12 yards. Colin Doyle was rooted to his line, and failed to keep
the ball out.

The entertainment was really only just beginning. Just after the
half-hour, Chelsea took the lead with another quickfire attack.
Malouda found Lampard, who dragged the ball towards Salomon Kalou. He
teased the ball into the box for Malouda, who had continued his run to
score with a firm strike past the exposed Doyle.

The switchback fortunes continued, now highlighting exactly why
Chelsea are pursuing Sevilla's right-back, Daniel Alves. Glen Johnson
was caught out on several occasions, most damagingly after 36 minutes
by Kapo, who manoeuvred the ball around the Chelsea defender before
firing an unstoppable left-footed shot past Cech.

"Kapo gave a terrific performance,'' enthused Bruce of the recruit
from Juventus who was on loan at Levante last season. "I saw him play
four years ago for Auxerre against Arsenal and he was brilliant. He
got his big-money move to Juventus, but it didn't work out. He's only
26. He's a natural footballer and will enhance the Premier League.''

This match certainly did, Chelsea regaining the lead after 50 minutes.
Malouda, Lampard and Wright-Phillips were involved before Essien bent
in a 20-yarder that Doyle should really have stopped. "When you come
to Chelsea you need your goalkeeper to be your best player but he's
had one of those days,'' Bruce said. "But he was instrumental in us
being in the Premier League so he deserved to be in the team.''

Victory still came at a cost to Chelsea as Essien limped away with
what Mourinho described as "knee ligament pain''. At least Mourinho
promised that Claude Makelele and Paulo Ferreira would return to
training today. After one record yesterday, Chelsea's coach now sets
his sight on a personal landmark, reaching 100 games unbeaten at home
by avoiding a reverse against Portsmouth on Aug 25. "I'm on 99 and I
hope Harry Redknapp doesn't kill my record because I would love to
reach 100,'' said Mourinho, who last experienced defeat at home in
2002 when his Porto side lost to Beira Mar.

www.telegraph.co.uk/winter

Match details

Chelsea: Cech, Johnson, Carvalho, Ben Haim, Ashley Cole,
Wright-Phillips, Essien (Mikel 69), Lampard, Malouda (Sidwell 83),
Kalou, Pizarro (Drogba 64).
Subs: Cudicini, Joe Cole.
Booked: Essien, Carvalho.
Goals: Pizarro 17, Malouda 31, Essien 50. Birmingham: Doyle, Kelly,
Djourou, Ridgewell, Queudrue (Parnaby 51), Larsson, Muamba, Nafti (De
Ridder 75), McSheffrey (Jerome 69), Kapo, Forssell.
Subs: Maik Taylor, O'Connor.
Booked: Larsson.
Goals: Forssell 15, Kapo 36.
Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent).

Man of the Match: Michael Essien (Chelsea) 9 (Scored a superb winner ,
81 per cent of his passes accurate, 25 per cent of Chelsea's shots on
target)

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Indy:

Chelsea 3, Birmingham City 2: Chelsea charm offensive is up and running
By Sam Wallace

The new Chelsea marketing campaign around Stamford Bridge declares
that loyalty to the club is "in the blood" and pictures the players
with their veins glowing electric blue. Jose Mourinho's team may well
have something unique in their DNA but, when it came to football that
quickened the pulse last season, there was greater entertainment to be
found elsewhere.

That could be changing. Mourinho spent the summer promising daring
raids from the wing and football on the break; against Birmingham
City, he traded five goals and a few defensive errors with newcomers
from the Championship. This was not Mourinho football as we know it
but, for an unusually noisy Stamford Bridge, it was a welcome change
from the occasionally charmless progress of the big blue machine.

There were impressive debuts from Claudio Pizarro and Florent Malouda,
who both scored, as well as the eye-catching Olivier Kapo for
Birmingham. But it was Shaun Wright-Phillips and Salomon Kalou, two
free spirits hitherto restrained by Mourinho's tactical rigour, who at
last stood out in a team committed to attack.

It is early days yet for Wright-Phillips, who has waited two years for
a game like this, but he was crucial to two goals, including Michael
Essien's winner on 50 minutes. "Shaun started very well this
pre-season," Mourinho said, "and the players know I am honest: I
choose the players who deserve to play. The first season coming from a
club without ambition is always hard; last season he improved."

Those two years have cost Wright-Phillips a place in England's World
Cup squad and just about all the credibility he accumulated at
Manchester City – a price most would find hard to bear. But in Kalou
and Malouda he found kindred spirits yesterday; the Frenchman looks an
immediate crowd favourite: brave, direct and fast.

So too Kapo, 26, a £3m signing from Juventus who has spent two years
on loan at Monaco and cracked a thunderous shot past Petr Cech for
Birmingham's second goal. It is a measure of the wealth of the Premier
League that newly promoted teams are signing Juventus' cast-offs, and
this one, Steve Bruce said, was "arguably the best player on the
pitch".

Only four sides scored two goals at Stamford Bridge last season,
across all domestic competitions, and Birmingham achieved that in the
first half. Atrocious marking from Tal Ben Haim allowed Mikael
Forssell the chance to nod in Liam Ridgewell's flick from Gary
McSheffrey's free-kick – a goal that the former Chelsea striker
graciously refused to celebrate.

At stake was Chelsea's run of home league games unbeaten which, with
yesterday's result, is now 64 and surpasses Liverpool's record.
Mourinho said that he was going to go home "to think about" all the
players, past and present, who had helped achieve it. Presumably, he
will not be thinking too much about Claudio Ranieri, the predecessor
with whom he had an uneasy relationship, who contributed six of those
games at the end of his reign.

Mourinho has his own record to think about – he now stands on 99 home
league games undefeated as a manager with Porto and Chelsea, although
this is a statistic that is yet to be verified independently. It would
be a brave man who would challenge him on it and a very unlucky player
who found himself responsible for defeat at home to Portsmouth on 25
August.

Within two minutes of Birmingham's goal, Wright-Phillips exchanged
passes with Malouda to square the ball for Pizarro to score. The ball
dribbled into Colin Doyle's goal rather too easily and the Irish
goalkeeper also found himself at fault for Essien's winner. There was
not much he could do about Chelsea's second, in which Malouda started
a move that involved Frank Lampard and Kalou before he was returned
the ball to flick past Doyle.

This was a glimpse of how Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, must have
imagined his team playing before Mourinho introduced him to the
mundane realities of winning titles. The Russian is back in love with
Chelsea, it seems, and he left the stadium with Avram Grant – another
indication of how close the new director of football is to the club's
power base.

Just when Chelsea looked set to destroy Birmingham, Kapo dragged the
visitors back into it, shuffling past Glen Johnson and smashing the
ball past Cech for 2-2. It was a glorious finish and it did nothing to
further Johnson's case that this second chance at Chelsea will be
permanent. Daniel Alves' attacking ability would add another
devastating aspect to this team, provided he can defend as well.

The winner from Essien was not struck as savagely as his goal against
Arsenal last December, and Doyle allowed it go through his hands. As
for the entertainment value, it was, in Mourinho's words, "too much".
Those who have sat through some of the more forgettable games of the
last three years would disagree.

Goals: Forssell (15) 0-1; Pizarro (17) 1-1; Malouda (30) 2-1; Kapo
(36) 2-2; Essien (50) 3-2.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Johnson, Carvalho, Ben Haim, A Cole;
Wright-Phillips, Essien (Mikel, 69), Lampard, Malouda (Sidwell, 82);
Kalou, Pizarro (Drogba, 51). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), J
Cole.

Birmingham City (4-4-1-1): Doyle; Kelly, Ridgewell, Djourou, Queudrue
(Parnaby, 51); Larsson, Nafti (De Ridder, 75), Muamba, McSheffrey
(Jerome, 69); Kapo; Forssell. Substitutes not used: Taylor (gk),
O'Connor.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

Booked: Chelsea Carvalho; Birmingham Larsson.

Man of the match: Wright-Phillips

Attendance: 41,590.
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Guardian:

New, carefree Chelsea enjoy living on the edge

Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
Monday August 13, 2007


It was a little harder than expected to tell the Blues from the Blues.
Inside the last 10 minutes Tal Ben Haim was hoofing the ball over his
own crossbar to avert a Birmingham City equaliser and such
harum-scarum moments did not go down well with every Stamford Bridge
regular. The television producers were soon cutting to the pensive
countenance of the owner Roman Abramovich, who had his hands pressed
to his face.


He was getting a first meaningful look at the consequences of his new
manifesto of exuberance for Chelsea. With two wingers and a pair of
strikers the side made space for itself at the price of allowing scope
for the visitors. While the victory was deserved, Birmingham must have
left London wondering what might have been had their goalkeeper Colin
Doyle not been culpable when Claudio Pizarro and then Michael Essien
scored.
The free and easy approach does have benefits for Chelsea none the
less. It might have had something to do with the transformation of
Shaun Wright-Phillips. Never before has he been so eager and,
simultaneously, poised in this jersey. As with any winger the level of
his confidence can be seen in the quality of the crossing. After
Birmingham had hit the opener, it was his exact cut-back that set up
Pizarro's equaliser.

Franck Queudrue was helpless before him and had to be replaced as
Steve Bruce switched Stephen Kelly to left-back. The distress in such
matters was not, however, confined to Birmingham. Glen Johnson had as
miserable a time for Chelsea. Nothing appears to have altered since he
was an exciting youngster at West Ham who had still to learn how to
defend.

The need to have Paulo Ferreira fit again can only have been topped in
Jose Mourinho's wish list by the yearning to see John Terry return
soon from his knee injury. The back four is not so organised without
him, even if the signing of Ben Haim and Alex means that the squad has
strength in depth at centre-half.

Birmingham took the lead after a quarter of an hour by winning two
headers from a Gary McSheffrey free-kick, the debutant and captain for
the day Liam Ridgewell helping the ball on before Mikael Forssell
nodded beyond Petr Cech. The scorer has been besieged by injury since
he left Chelsea but he played with freedom here despite being a lone
striker.

The pickings came more easily for the person currently turning out at
centre- forward in the Stamford Bridge line-up. With 18 minutes gone,
Essien swept an imperious pass to the right and Wright-Phillips
exchanged passes with Florent Malouda before locating Pizarro. The
Peruvian's low finish was not kept out by the palms of Doyle.

There was sustenance in this for the fans' hope that Chelsea now have
an appropriately ample squad. With Andriy Shevchenko absent and Didier
Drogba not introduced until the 64th minute, the team was still
suitably staffed in the middle of the attack, where Salomon Kalou is
continuing to improve.

The latter was the key to the goal that put Chelsea ahead after 31
minutes. Once a Malouda through-ball had been helped on by Frank
Lampard it was Kalou who slipped the pass that let Malouda re-enter
the move by scoring. He had already found the net in the Community
Shield against Manchester United and the Frenchman's transition to
Chelsea has been instantaneous.

It could be called effortless, but that is scarcely the correct
adjective for a winger who pours so much endeavour and ability into
his displays. At £13.5m, the purchase is looking inspired. Even so,
there was meagre opportunity for anyone at Chelsea to bask in
self-satisfaction.

Olivier Kapo could keep a lot of opponents on their toes this
campaign. Birmingham's acquisition from Juventus had been on loan to
Levante, suggesting a career deflected from its proper course, but he
was not diverted here. Coming in from the left, he got the break of
the ball as he ran at Johnson and unleashed a savage shot beyond Cech
in the 36th minute.

The openings were more numerous for Chelsea, but Bruce will have
misgivings about the winner. Wright-Phillips pulled the ball back
after 50 minutes, but although Essien's drive was powerful it also had
a trajectory beneficial to a goalkeeper. Doyle, celebrating his 22nd
birthday and widely appreciated as possessing great potential, should
have done better than to help it home.

If it is any consolation to the Irishman, Chelsea oozed creativity,
merited the win and might have enjoyed a greater margin. There was
festiveness about them as they set a new league record of 64 unbeaten
home matches in the top flight. While Mourinho took no coaxing to
comment on that achievement, such records are not the sort to satisfy
him.

Wednesday's trip to Reading intrigues since it will show just how much
risk-taking Mourinho deems appropriate in a tricky away fixture as he
plots to reclaim the Premier League title for Chelsea.

Man of the match Shaun Wright-Phillips

The Chelsea winger can always be counted on for vitality but there was
a judiciousness here that has seldom been associated with him

Best Moment The low cross with which he set up Pizarro's goal in the 18th minute
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Mail:

A false start - Mourinho's blue crew eclipse the Red legends

Chelsea 3 Birmingham 2

By NEIL ASHTON

The Premier League remains the long-term objective but Jose Mourinho
was in the mood for reminiscing after Chelsea eclipsed Liverpool's run
of 63 League matches unbeaten at home.

That landmark, which had stood since Bob Paisley's legendary side
swept all before them in the late Seventies, was passed when Claudio
Pizarro, Florent Malouda and Michael Essien etched their names into
the history books with the goals that secured Chelsea's opening
victory of the season.


The last time Chelsea's supporters traipsed home from the Bridge and
kicked the cat was in February 2004, when Arsenal celebrated a 2-1
victory over their London rivals. They have led a charmed life ever
since.

Class acts such as Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly and Eidur
Gudjohnsen were still at the club when this exceptional run began
under Claudio Ranieri but Mourinho must take the credit for protecting
it over the past three seasons.

Birmingham arrived with their tails up after winning promotion but
Chelsea seem impregnable at Stamford Bridge.


"The record is more for Chelsea than for me," claimed Mourinho.
Everyone knows that it was held by Liverpool and some top, top players
— Hansen, Neal and Dalglish.


"Now this moment belongs to John Terry and Frank Lampard and some of
the others who have played their part in it such as Gudjohnsen, Geremi
and Duff.

"I am pleased because this also brings me to 99 games unbeaten at home
in the league [including Porto] and if my friend Harry Redknapp does
not wreck it I will achieve 100 against Portsmouth."

Despite Birmingham's refreshing approach, Chelsea were always capable
of creating chances. With Shaun Wright-Phillips on one flank and
Florent Malouda on the other, this is a team that can attack at will.

That pairing were relentless whenever they were in possession and they
showed their teeth after Mikael Forssell's deflected effort in the
15th minute had beaten the unsighted Petr Cech to give Birmingham the
lead.

Within two minutes Chelsea were level. Wright-Phillips' wall pass with
Malouda was adroitly steered back into his path and Pizarro, who was
signed on a free transfer from Bayern Munich, swept the ball beyond
Colin Doyle.

The young Birmingham goalkeeper, capped by the Republic of Ireland in
the summer, took Maik Taylor's place in the promotion run-in but Steve
Bruce already has a decision to make when they face Sunderland in
midweek.


Doyle allowed Pizarro's shot to bounce under his body and he was again
at fault when he failed to turn Essien's long-range shot over the bar
in the second half.


Bruce said: "Of course, he is disappointed because you need your
goalkeeper to be your best player when you come to places like
Chelsea. But he is the reason we are in the Premiership. He saved a
penalty against Wolves last season that helped us get promoted but we
gave away two soft goals. It's a shame because we came to attack and
that's what we did.

"It's great to be back in the Premiership — even the smell of the hot
dogs is great — and I was up at 6.30am with all the usual nerves that
you get on the first day of the season.

"Chelsea's record underlines what a good side they are but I saw
enough from my team to suggest we can give this a real go."

There was little Birmingham could do about Malouda's strike in the
31st minute. The France winger began and ended the move that involved
a clever backheel by Lampard and a neat flick on the edge of the area
by the rapidly improving Salomon Kalou.

Malouda dispatched it with a crisp half-volley but Birmingham refused
to throw in the towel. Bruce has laced his side with brutes — Johan
Djourou, Fabrice Muamba and Olivier Kapo are all man mountains — but
they can also play a bit and it was Kapo's brilliance that brought
them back into the game.

Glen Johnson, who spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, was given
another chance at right back but if this performance was a measure of
his progress then Dani Alves' phone will be in meltdown this morning.

Johnson was left floundering by Kapo's trickery inside the area and
there was nothing Petr Cech could do to prevent the former Juventus
midfielder's left-footed strike heading for the top corner.

That goal gave Birmingham's vocal supporters hope that they could
escape with a point but Essien's 50th-minute strike restored order.

The Ghanaian eventually made way for Mikel John Obi, with a knee
injury that could rule him out of Wednesday's trip to Reading, but
there is no doubting his class.

Mourinho added: "I like the way Birmingham played because they wanted
to attack. It is normal for teams who come up from the Championship to
attack and they could have scored three or four. I would have been
able to breathe a bit better if we had won 4-2 but I told the players
at half-time that we could not be playing much better. The day does
not belong to me."

After three years as the centre of attention, that certainly makes a change.
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Mirror:

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Chelsea 3 Birmingham 2 ..and Blues go 64 games unbeaten at Bridge
Chelsea wide boys finally beat Liverpool's 27-year record
Oliver Holt

The sign on the giant scoreboard at Stamford Bridge suggested a cricket score.

It read 64 Not Out after the final whistle blew on yet another home
league match negotiated without defeat.

It would have been good enough to make Chelsea top scorer in England's
first innings down the road at The Oval.

tAnd it took Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, Michael Essien and the absent
colossus John Terry beyond the great Liverpool side of the late 1970s
and into the history books.

Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen and Co
went 63 league games at Anfield without a loss. Now Chelsea have gone
one better.

It was as good a way as any for Jose Mourinho's side to mark the
opening day of their new season and their attempt to regain the title.

And even though their 3-2 win over newly-promoted Birmingham was not
as authoritative as they might have wished, it held out the prospect
of a dashing duel with Manchester United for the Premier League crown.

Last season, Chelsea were often damned as the dull boys plodding in
the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson's dynamic, swashbuckling band of
entertainers.

But yesterday Shaun Wright-Phillips and Florent Malouda ripped
Birmingham to shreds down the flanks and recalled the days when Arjen
Robben and Damien Duff twisted opponents out of shape.

Chelsea also looked immeasurably more comfortable without the jarring
presence of Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack. They missed them,
sure, but only in the way a healthy complexion misses a couple of
yellow-headed zits.

Without them, they looked almost back to their fluent best going
forward, happy to feed the pace of Wright-Phillips and the cunning of
Malouda and let Salomon Kalou and Claudio Pizarro take advantage of
the havoc they caused.

In central midfield, too, it was a joy to see Lampard and Essien
paired together without the need to contort the formation to
accommodate Ballack.

In the first half in particular, Lampard produced the kind of sweet
touches, clever passes and surging runs that have made him such a
cornerstone of Chelsea's invincibility at the Bridge.

And the sight of Essien alongside him was a reminder of what Chelsea
were lacking there last season when they were forced to use him as
emergency cover in defence.

The surprise was that Wright-Phillips was the pick of the bunch. A
surprise because he has so often been a disappointment since his move
from Manchester City two summers ago.

Yesterday, once more, he looked like the flying winger who destroyed
opponents with his pace but could also pick them apart with a clever
final ball. He nearly scored after a quarter of an hour when he won
the ball midway inside the Birmingham half, took a return from Pizarro
and scorched a shot across goal and just wide. Two minutes after
Chelsea old boy Mikael Forssell put Birmingham ahead, Wright-Phillips
helped Chelsea draw level, racing to the byline and pulling back a
cross that Pizarro slotted under Colin Doyle.

And after Malouda had started and finished the move for Chelsea's
second and Olivier Kapo had scored the goal of the game to bring
Birmingham an equaliser, Wright-Phillips popped up again five minutes
after the interval to provide Chelsea's winner.

It was only a simple pass, a short lay back to Essien who curled in
another shot that Doyle should have saved but didn't. But in the last
two years, it's been the simple things that seemed to be beyond
Wright-Phillips, a man who was trying too hard but now appears to be
feeling right at home.

"To be quick is one thing," former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit said on TV
after the match, "but to be in control of the ball as well is much
more difficult. I watched Wright-Phillips today and I thought 'hey,
you've improved'."

The same thought applied to Chelsea as a whole. They still sorely
missed Terry at the heart of defence but at least Tal Ban Haim is
there as cover and Alex will soon provide further reinforcement. Glen
Johnson looked like a weak link at right-back but, still, being
exposed by Kapo has got to beat eyeing up toilet seats in Ikea or
wherever it was that Johnson chose to get creative in his Portsmouth
days.

After the game, Mourinho paid tribute to the players, past and
present, who had helped Chelsea to their record-breaking total.

He talked about Eidur Gudjohnsen, Geremi and Duff as well as survivors
like Lampard and Terry. He sounded almost wistful. That was why the
performance of Wright-Phillips was particularly timely.

On a day that bracketed them with a great Liverpool side, the little
winger transported them back to a time when they were kings.

A few minutes from the end, Mourinho even climbed off the bench,
bottle in hand, and ran to the touchline to give Wright-Phillips a
drink of water.

It was as clear sign of approval and appreciation.

His team might have just turned 64, but it's looking young again.

CHELSEA BIRMINGHAM CITY

58% POSSESSION 42%

8 SHOTS ON TARGET 4

12 SHOTS OFF TARGET 3

4 OFFSIDES 0

5 CORNERS 3

9 FOULS 13

2 YELLOW CARDS 1

0 RED CARDS 0

ATTENDANCE: 41,590

Man Of The Match: W-Phillips

TEAMS AND RATINGS

Chelsea: Cech 7, Johnson 5, Carvalho 6, Ben Haim 7, Ashley Cole 7,
Wright-Phillips 9, Essien 7 (Mikel 69, 6), Lampard 8, Malouda 8
(Sidwell 83, 6), Kalou 7, Pizarro 6 (Drogba 64, 6).

Birmingham: Doyle 4, Kelly 6, Djourou 6, Ridgewell 7, Queudrue 6
(Parnaby 51, 6), Larsson 7, Muamba 5, Nafti 6 (De Ridder 75, 5),
McSheffrey 7 (Jerome 69, 6), Kapo 8, Forssell 7. Ref: S Bennett