Champions League: Chelsea 2 - Lazio 1No wonder Claudio Ranieri looked delighted. Last night's deserved victory not only means at least three days will pass without speculation about his future, but it also leaves Chelsea on course for the knock-out stages. Their achievement in coming from behind to beat Italian opponents should not be under-estimated.
There were signs Chelsea's huge squad is settling down as they shook off the disappointment of Simone Inzaghi's headed goal for Lazio to win the match in the second half. A well-struck equaliser by the impressive Frank Lampard finished a fine move before Adrian Mutu pounced for the winner.
Ranieri's tinkering paid off as Jesper Gronkjaer crossed for the decisive goal almost as soon as he had come on, and the coach's faith in Carlo Cudicini was rewarded. At fault for Arsenal's winner on Saturday, he made two agile saves either side of Mutu's goal.
Chelsea's form had not suggested they would cruise to victory.
"The team is suffering from indigestion, trying to assimilate so many newcomers into what was already one of the larger squads in the Premiership," the chairman Ken Bates had suggested before kick-off.
Ranieri, though, had been thinking not about upset stomachs but upsetting Lazio. He had called on his players to show the right "reaction" to the defeat at Arsenal, and the way Chelsea began was encouraging, full of energy and neat passes for 25 minutes.
The trouble was that three presentable openings were squandered in that time and such profligacy always risks being punished. Chelsea can ill-afford to be wasteful while their defence remains susceptible to lapses.
When Lazio took the lead with their first effort on target it was wholly undeserved, but not a complete surprise. As Cudicini knows, every slip seems to be painful at the moment. On this occasion Ranieri could not be blamed.
Not surprisingly, he stuck with a back four rather than the three which backfired against Besiktas. Only Hernan Crespo was an enforced change, absent with a groin injury. In his absence Mutu and Eidur Gudjohnsen were paired for the first time, with Damien Duff and Juan Sebastian Veron roaming behind them.
There were positive signs for Chelsea when, inside five minutes, Gudjohnsen turned away from Jaap Stam and shot over the bar. Veron, facing the club where he played the best football of his career, looked bright and keen to make an impression. Duff was also causing problems with his runs through the middle.
When Lazio did counter-attack Claude Makelele frequently did what he does best, breaking things up with minimum fuss. And from a break of their own, in the 20th minute, Chelsea ought to have taken the lead. Lampard's excellent pass released Gudjohnsen but his poor cross did not find Mutu.
By then Mutu had also wasted a chance, dragging a shot wide from Veron's pass. With Lazio's defence looking vulnerable to pace, there was plenty to suggest more would come.
Yet as the tempo of Chelsea's play dropped, they found it harder to break down the Italian side, who found more of a foothold before striking with stealth.
Massimo Oddo's ball was headed across goal by Dejan Stankovic with Glen Johnson watching, and Inzaghi got ahead of William Gallas to head in. When Lampard thundered a shot against the bar not long after Chelsea must have wondered if their luck was out.
In fact Lampard's fortune turned when he scored a fine equaliser at the end of a fluent Chelsea move.
Veron started things with a pass to Mutu, and Duff and Gudjohnsen were also involved before Gudjohnsen slid a pass to the edge of the area which Lampard finished with a dipping first-time shot.
Chelsea then burst forward in search of a second. Their need to be vigilant of counter-attacks was confirmed when Cudicini saved well from a deflected Dejan Stankovic cross but, soon after, the substitute crossed and Mutu scored after his initial effort had been blocked.
Guardian Service
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Johnson, Gallas, Terry, Bridge, Lampard, Makelele, Veron (Gronkjaer 64), Duff (Geremi 79), Gudjohnsen, Mutu (Cole 87). Subs Not Used: Ambrosio, Hasselbaink, Melchiot, Huth. Booked: Veron, Terry. Goals: Lampard 57, Mutu 65.
LAZIO: Peruzzi, Oddo, Stam, Mihajlovic, Favalli, Sergio Conceicao, Stankovic (Liverani 84), Albertini, Zauri (Fiore 74), Inzaghi (Muzzi 68), Corradi. Subs Not Used: Sereni, Dabo, Lopez, Negro. Booked: Mihajlovic, Inzaghi, Fiore, Oddo.Goals: Inzaghi 39.
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).
