It is now 14 goals without reply from three games as the strong start continues.

The Blues were afforded the luxury of a missed Frank Lampard penalty before Florent Malouda opened the scoring for the third game running, again with a right-foot finish.

Chelsea then hit the bar, a feat also performed by Stoke with the score still 1-0. Didier Drogba sealed the win from the penalty spot with quarter-of-an-hour to go, followed soon after by a debut for Ramires.

This was never the fireworks of the last home game versus West Brom, or the second half at Wigan. Stoke showed limited ambition and kept players massed at the back. Kenywne Jones up front looked a man just back from injury.

Carlo Ancelotti was able to field a settled side, just one change forced upon him by Branislav Ivanovic's back injury. Paulo Ferreira came in. It was in fact the same side that started the first game of the season, here at the Bridge two weeks ago.

We've already seen John Mikel Obi create a goal with his long passing this season and he almost did so again on four minutes, sliding one out to a flying Ashley Cole who shot across goal and just wide.

On seven minutes Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead linked with Jones and shot powerfully at Petr Cech who gathered at the second attempt. Then Walters lobbed onto the roof of the net after Etherington had got the better of Ferreira and crossed. That was a genuine scare.

Nerves should have been settled three minutes later when Stoke skipper Shawcross brought down Malouda in the box but Lampard's poor run from the penalty spot continued. He hit it low but too close to Sorensen who saved. That is three in a row spurned for club and country.

In fact Drogba tested the keeper more with a 30-yard free-kick soon after that was beaten away by Sorensen's stinging fists.

The Ivorian later couldn't work the ball away from his feet for an effective shot after Michael Essien had played it through. Essien himself then headed over a corner.

Approaching the half-hour, Chelsea began to put pressure on, winning a succession of corners but the tall Stoke defence stood strong. They were finally ripped apart by Chelsea's counter-attacking play 31 minutes in.

The defence pounced as Jones tried to hold the ball up, Terry and Alex snapping into the challenge.

The captain snaffled up the loose ball and raced away before slipping the perfect pass on to Malouda for an emphatic finish.

Cole almost made it a rapid 2-0 when he swivelled on Drogba's high ball in to rap the crossbar with a shot. Cole was then the recipient of a nasty sliding challenge which earned Whitehead a booking.

Our left-back was forward again just before the break, almost teeing up Drogba, and when the ball was played back in by Anelka, Lampard volleyed over.

Etherington became the game's second booking just before the interval for tripping a fast-breaking Anelka. Chelsea may have been the home side, but Stoke were looking vulnerable to us on the counter-attack.

Drogba was guilty of passing up a chance he normally buries just four minutes after the restart. Anelka looped a cross onto his forehead but from just eight yards out he nodded it straight at the keeper.

There was better work from the man with the Golden Boot in his own penalty area soon after as he blocked an Etherington shot following Cech's fist away.

Stoke by this time had made a change through injury, Glenn Whelan now on for Whitehead.

The game fell into the doldrums. Chelsea's tempo was slow and Terry took a bash sliding into a 50-50 in the Stoke half. He was clearly troubled as he played on.

Whelan then hit the bar for Stoke having advanced into a big gap after Anelka lost the ball, the 25-yard effort rebounding back with Cech struggling. That was one strike of the woodwork each.

Salomon Kalou replaced Lampard on 71 minutes, Malouda dropping back into the deeper midfield role he played at the close of last season.

On 75 minutes came the game-clinching foul. The Blues broke out once again through Anelka and as he beat Sorensen to the ball, the keeper brought him down. The Frenchman had been heading wide of the goal which saved Sorensen a card, and Lampard's substitution saved a decision over whether he should take the penalty. Drogba powered it in.

Alex did his bit to preserve the season's clean sheet with an excellent challenge in Chelsea's area, met by a high-volume singing of the Brazilian's name.

Another Brazilian, Ramires, was met with an equally-loud cheer when he made his debut with seven minutes of the 90 left. Essien made way.

Sturridge had also come on for Anelka and shot across the face of goal before the end and also smashed one from distance into Sorensen's midriff.

Kalou should have made it 3-0 with normal time up having bustled through the challenge of the last defender but one-on-one with Sorensen, he couldn't finish.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira , Alex, Terry (c), Cole; Essien (Ramires 84), Mikel, Lampard (Kalou 71); Anelka (Sturridge 80), Drogba, Malouda.
Scorers Malouda 31, Drogba pen 76.
Unused subs Turnbull, van Aanholt, Zhirkov , Benayoun.

Stoke (4-4-2): Sorensen; Huth, Shawcross (c), Ab Faye, Collins; Wilkinson (Whelan 50), Delap (Pugh 85), Whitehead, Etherington; Walters, Jones (Fuller 67).
Unused subs Begovic, Higginbotham, Tonge, Tuncay.
Booked Whitehead 36, Etherington 44.

Referee Martin Atkinson
Crowd 40,931

Shots on Chelsea 6 Stoke 3
Corners Chelsea 6 Stoke 1
Fouls Chelsea 5 Stoke 10
Offsides Chelsea 2 Stoke 1

See the full game on Chelsea TV from 6pm on Sunday.