Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka scored the goals to maintain Chelsea's 100% Premier League record at the expense of local rivals Fulham. Drogba opened the scoring at the end of the first half when he fired an angled shot past Mark Schwarzer from Frenchman Anelka's low pass. The Ivorian then provided the assist for Anelka who scored Chelsea's second with a low effort from inside the area.
Clint Dempsey had Fulham's best chance when he fired over from eight yards. Fulham had set out a defensive stall against their local rivals with Danny Murhy and Dickson Etuhu sitting deep, and for large parts of the opening half Chelsea's creative energies were well repressed.
In fact, prior to Drogba's strike, there were only two occasions when the respective goalmouths were threatened in an uneventful half. The first chance fell to American Dempsey, who did well to make space inside the area after collecting Zoltan Gera's ball, but then scooped his shot over the bar.
The other opportunity fell to John Mikel Obi who cut across a Michael Ballack nod down from 25 yards, but saw his effort fly a yard wide of Schwarzer's left-hand upright.
Fulham's defence, led by Brede Hangeland, had dealt with the Blues assault, lpredominantly aerial, with relative ease - Chelsea's play was predictable at times. But with three minutes of the half remaining, the visitors opted for different route to goal.
Some quick passing ended with Anelka coming in from the right to thread the ball to Drogba, who escaped the offside trap before caressing his shot past Schwarzer and into the keeper's bottom right.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with Chelsea dominating the play - 64% at one stage - but again, they were finding it hard to find a gap through Hangeland and co. That was until 14 minutes from time, when two of the Premier League's most potent strikers teamed up for the second time in the match to score.
Drogba was the provider this time, pinging the ball with pace to last season's top scorer Anelka, who responded by fizzing the ball past Schwarzer from inside the area. The second goal ended hopes of any other result but a Chelsea win which was their 26th from 27 league and cup games over Fulham.
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