Nicolas Anelka continued on from his hat-trick at Watford with his first league goal in two months. The win takes Chelsea back above Aston Villa.

It was a steady rather than spectacular victory, our first as an away team in this stadium in 10 years, but the team withstood pressure in the second half having taken the lead in the first with a quality effort. Blues supporters can believe there is still much to be gained from this season.

The side Guus Hiddink had selected for the first time showed no radical changes but it did include Drogba and Anelka, plus Kalou. They lined up in a three-man attack, Anelka on the left, Kalou the right-sider.

Bosingwa was back at right-back; Ferreira the expected Ashley Cole replacement and Ivanovic made way for John Terry. The midfield three was very much the one favoured by Scolari in his latter weeks in charge.

Drogba unleashed a low, angled drive as early as the second minute of the game, which Friedel stopped by his ankles. Villa went straight up the other end and when Cech couldn't gather a loose ball under pressure, Heskey shot over as the ball was played back, Terry having forced a hurried attempt from his England colleague.

Lampard worried Villa with an ambitious dipping effort from over 30 yards that dipped but still cleared the bar on eight minutes and then Agbonlahor failed to put power behind a shooting chance from considerably closer. It had been an even and open start to this lunchtime kick-off on a sunny day in 'the second city'. 

It took a good interception from Alex to keep the home side away from the Holte End goal on 17 minutes after Milner and Heskey leapt upon a misplaced Ferreira header.

A minute later, the visitors up from London stunned Villa Park with a goal that oozed class. The initial ball into Lampard was not good, but in an instance he took control, turned and danced between two closing players, Petrov and Davies, and placed his pass into Anelka's stride.

Beating Brad Friedel is never easy but the Frenchman made it look so from 15 yards out, chipping over the American for his first league goal since the home draw against those other wearers of claret and blue, West Ham.

Now with a lead against one of the top five for the first time since Arsenal visited us back in November, a solid period of play was needed.

Mikel was spoken to at length for a foul as Villa launched their attempted recovery, but Chelsea continued to enjoy just as much of the ball. Ballack was next to shoot on-target and then a panicking Villa defence was almost opened up by Kalou's pacy run, Lampard and Drogba not reading each others' intentions before the ball was cleared.

From the corner that followed, Friedel needed to be sharp to keep out Terry's bullet header with a one-handed save.

On 33 minutes there was an escape - but only after Villa had wrongly been given a free-kick by referee Mark Halsey.

When the deadball was struck by Ashley Young 20 yards out, Cech was left standing as it dipped down onto the crossbar and out. It rebounded to Heskey, but with time and from a standing position, the centre-forward planted his header wide.

Chelsea played with caution leading up to the break, determined to take a lead into the dressing room. There was no mistaking from the Villa players' faces as they went down the tunnel which team was most pleased with their 45 minutes work.

The home team's first significant task of the second half was to keep out a Chelsea corner - Petrov on the post heading away a Terry header.

However it was not a good restart by Chelsea. It needed the best of Cech to save at the near post from Agbonlahor after the striker had got past Alex.

Hiddink didn't mess around in shaking the side up. On 54 minutes Deco was brought on for Kalou. There was no significant change in the team shape, but with Deco on the right, Anelka was now more often against Villa right-back Cuéllar, recently booked for a late tackle on the same Chelsea player.

The game entered a lull in terms of chances, broken by Barry's shot, again saved well by Cech.

With 20 minutes remaining, Martin O'Neill made his first change. The tower that is Jon Carew was added to the attack with Davies removed from the backline, Cuéllar moving into the middle and Milner dropping to right-back.

On 74 minutes, Chelsea were sloppy in clearing our lines and Barry let fly again - this time straight at Cech.

The performance of the second half was falling short of the first, but that single-goal lead remained intact.

Nearly everything from Villa going forward was coming down the Chelsea right, but the two Youngs aided by Barry were just about held at bay.

Chelsea weren't making enough chances to waste any but Drogba on the spin blasted well over after a Villa clearance fortuitously broke his way and then Bosingwa fired straight at Friedel when well-positioned after exchanging passes with Drogba.

Those moments were inside the final 10 minutes and before the end, three Chelsea players were booked, Ballack for a foul and Bosingwa for wasting time over a throw before Terry checked Agbonlahor for his caution.

From the free-kick over the top that followed, it fell to Villa shirts but they couldn't bring the ball down in time.

The final chance was Chelsea's. Deco weaved his way through on the byeline and set up Ballack on the edge of the area. Our frequent nemesis Friedel was up to the challenge this time, tipping the rocket shot over but the day was not to be the American's.

The whistle blew to complete a league double over Villa and end the home side's club record unbeaten Premier League run of 13 matches.

Hiddink's first match in charge had been a good way to start the weekend.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry (c), Ferreira; Ballack, Mikel, Lampard; Kalou (Deco 54), Drogba (Belletti 90), Anelka.
Scorer Anelka 18.
Booked Ballack 83, Bosingwa 84, Terry 89.

Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; Cuéllar, Knight, Davies (Carew 70), L Young; Milner, Petrov, Barry (c), A Young; Agbonlahor, Heskey.
Booked Cuéllar 52.

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