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UEFA Champions League: Unimpressive Chelsea beat Anderlecht 1-0 [Tue Sep 13th, 2005]
London (Reuters) - English champions Chelsea have made a patchy and unspectacular start to their UEFA Champions League campaign, beating Belgium's Anderlecht with a single goal from Frank Lampard in their Group G game.
Jose Mourinho's multi-million dollar London side, semi-finalists the last two seasons and top of the Premier League after five straight wins, offered the Belgian league leaders a lesson in possession and passing but lacked incisiveness in front of goal.
The result, rarely in doubt after Lampard's 19th minute shot swerved beyond embarrassed goalkeeper Daniel Zitka, also earned Anderlecht a record eighth successive Champions League defeat.
They had shared the previous record of seven with Spartak Moscow, Fenerbahce and Bayer Leverkusen.
Chelsea attacked from the outset and Zitka was called into action in the third minute, parrying a shot from 26 million pound (US$47.37 million) August signing Michael Essien and tipping a bullet from Ireland winger Damien Duff over the bar.
Chelsea, enjoying most possession and surging constantly forward, could have had more goals but for the poor finishing and committed, if at times desperate, defending from Anderlecht's back four.
Anderlecht, relying on swift counter-attack, rarely found a way through a home defence that set a record for fewest goals conceded in England last season and has yet to concede in their five league games this term.
In the 11th minute Mbo Mpenza threaded a dangerous ball to Serhat Akin, top goalscorer in Turkey for Fenerbahce last season, but the Turk was closed down on his approach and shot tamely wide.
JINKING RUN
Chelsea got their goal after Poland defender Michal Zewlakow pulled down Ireland winger Damien Duff as he made a jinking run towards the penalty area. Arjen Robben rolled the free kick to England midfielder Lampard who sent a trademark rocket through a disintegrated wall and past the despairing keeper.
Lampard thought he had a second from a free kick in the 62nd minute, but this time Zitka moved towards rather than beyond the ball to tip it aside.
Chelsea began to look complacent and were almost caught two minutes later out when 17-year-old Anthony Vanden Borre took a chance from 35 metres and his shot low shot glanced off Chelsea captain John Terry on to a post.
That inspired Anderlecht into a lively patch, Swedish substitute Christian Wilhemsson worrying Paulo Ferreira down Chelsea's right flank.
But it was Chelsea and Essien who had the best chance of the last 15 minutes when substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips, on for Robben, shook off three defenders to cross into the box only for the Ghana midfielder to pull his shot wide.
It was a long way from vintage Chelsea but Lampard was unconcerned: "It's not normal to be hitting top form early in the season, we didn't do it last season either," he told ITV.
"But having won every game, it's a good sign.
"We could see the way they set out was to sit back and stop us, and they did that well. We should have scored more, but we got the three points and can look to the next game."
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