The European campaign begins in similar fashion to the domestic one, with a big 4-0 home win thanks to goals from two Englishmen and two Frenchmen in this anglo-gallic encounter.

Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka were on target in as comfortable a win as you could hope to see in this competition, even if the foot came off the gas after the break.

Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc may have been one of the world's great defenders but his side today were not made in his image as the Chelsea woodwork count almost matched the goal tally and in the first half especially, chances flowed like water.

Chelsea were unchanged from the good win in Manchester at the weekend but with Michael Ballack on the bench. He would enter the action second-half, but not before the Blues were two goals to the good.

The first hint of a goal chance came when Deco chipped into the area for Joe Cole, onside and in behind the defence, but the ball bounced beyond his reach and through to the keeper.

Bordeaux had lined up in a mirror of Chelsea's 4-1-4-1 formaton with Brazilians Wendel and Fernando out wide and it was Wendel who intercepted a pass that Mikel had played without due care and attention, sending the French team on the attack. Fortunately, he declined the support of his colleagues and attempted an ambitious drive from 25 yards that arced over the bar.

Ten minutes passed with no early breakthrough but just as the Bridge crowd was settling down for one of those nights of group stage attrition, Lampard intervened on 13 minutes.

Via simple passes from Deco and Joe Cole, the ball made its way to Bosingwa whose inswinging crosses have been threatening to do damage all season. This one did, dropping perfectly for yet another well-timed Lampard run. Heading the ball home was one of his easier tasks and he moves joint top of Chelsea's all-time European scorers with 18 goals.

Anelka, from out on the right, was found by Malouda and pulled the trigger, his low and powerful shot beaten away by Ramé in the Bordeaux goal.

There was nearly a second headed goal a couple of minutes further on as Lampard's free-kick was met by Terry at the far post but the captain jumped away in frustration as it bounced wide.

It then took the keeper at full-stretch to keep out his team-mate Fernando who had diverted a Joe Cole cross toward his own target.

Whether they were high or low crosses, Bordeaux were at sixes and sevens dealing with Chelsea's balls in from wide, as Anelka further proved when his flick-on was defended desperately.

On 30 minutes, Joe Cole put Chelsea two goals up with a near-post header from a Lampard corner. What more evidence the French frailty in the air was needed?

Three minutes later there was a rare moment of Lampard wastefulness in the area when Malouda bundled back another Bosingwa cross and the vice-captain volleyed wide of the far post.

The visitors were briefly allowed a sight of Cech's goal when Carvalho conceded a free-kick, attempting to deal with the aftermath of a Deco mistake. Gourcuff curled his free-kick onto the roof of the net.

Bordeaux had another effort six minutes after the restart, Fernando from 30 yards shooting just a yard or two wide with Cech watching on.

At the other end, Malouda flashed a tempting ball across the area that Anelka was just a stride short of making pay.

Deco was the game's first booking on 57 minutes, for a trip on Diarra, three minutes before he was replaced by Ballack.

Between those two moments, Anelka, Joe Cole and Lampard raced away on a counter attack, Joe Cole caught offside as he curled a shot wide.

Anelka soon burst onto a short Joe Cole pass but shot into the side-netting. The England man would be the next substituted, by Belletti who went to play in front of Bosingwa.

Hope was the change would add some fizz to a second-half that had turned rather flat.

Stamford Bridge had to wait until 81 minutes for that to happen but when the third goal came, there was much to admire about it.

Bordeaux had only just survived a goalmouth scramble when Mikel took the fight back to them with a swivel-hipped run, Lampard back-heeling his pass onto Malouda who smashed the ball to Ramé's left and in for his first of the season.

With shades of the first-half, Bordeaux fell well below Champions League standard defending when Lampard aimed far post with a corner. Unmarked, Carvalho headed against the bar.

Before full-time, Anelka hit the post from the edge of the area but the ex-pat Frenchman could not be denied his first Champions League goal for Chelsea.

He turned the ball in from close range but not before the Blues had rattled the woodwork for the third time in five minutes, the keeper having tipped Belletti's rocket onto the bar, only to be left helpless as the ball dropped Anelka's way.

With the other group favourites Roma losing 2-1 at home to Cluj and Chelsea's goal difference already healthy, Group A has started well.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c); A Cole; Mikel; J Cole (Belletti 73), Deco (Ballack 60), Lampard, Malouda (Kalou 83); Anelka.
Scorers Lampard 13, J Cole 30, Malouda 81, Anelka 90+1.
Booked Deco 57

Bordeaux (4-1-4-1): Ramé (c); Jurietti, Planus, Diawara, Placente; Diarra; Wendel, Gourcuff (Obertan 65), Gouffran, Fernando (Ducasse 74); Chamakh (Cavenaghi 65).