Following another victory on the road up at Stoke, Chelsea players are highlighting home form as a main target for improvement.

The Blues run of invincibility at Stamford Bridge is one of the most famous current statistics in football but in terms of collecting three points, its in numbers of away games won that the team has clearly been outperforming our rivals.

Only one point fewer was gained away from the Bridge than from home games last season, a campaign in which we recorded the best away record in the Barclays Premier League. This season the four points dropped have all been on our patch. The last six away league games have been won.

'We try to maintain our away record but the most important is to win our home games because last year, I think that was the difference,' said Florent Malouda, speaking following the 2-0 win in Stoke's Britannia Stadium.

'We know what we can do away and we must confirm that every time at home.

'Last week we drew against Man United so we had to bring the three points back and that is what we did in this game.'

Stoke, followed by Romanian side CFR Cluj in the Champions League this week, represent a run of new opposition for this season, making pre-match scouting and planning as important as ever.

Against a Stoke side expected to take a direct and an athletic approach, Malouda believes the homework paid off.

'We knew that if we could keep the ball it would be much easier for us and that is what we tried to do, avoid the fouls and play with our qualities.

'We tried to fight but after that we had to try to hold the ball well.'

John Mikel Obi confirms nothing caught his side by surprise at the Britannia.

'We knew the game would be physical and we knew their game was about chipping the ball and running. We talked about it a lot before the game. We did exactly what we were told to do,' he says.

Everyone wanted to talk about José Bosingwa after the game, the right-back having continued his good start to his career in England by scoring his first Chelsea goal and crossing dangerously in the attack for Nicolas Anelka to net the second.

'We've got full-backs prepared to do go forward all day long but José coming into a different football has done really well to settle in. His work ethic is quite superb,' states assistant first team coach Ray Wilkins.

'Full-backs in modern day football get a lot of time in possession of the ball and if you have people prepared to work and play the football, as ours can, then you have the opportunity to create far more for the strikers.

'We played very well in the first half, did well at the start of the second, then came under some pressure but pulled through.

'Stoke had done their homework and they loaded a lot of heavy stuff onto us so it was always going to be tough, but our players really did battle.

'I think a lot of people still question if Chelsea can cope with that type of game but we proved again we can handle it.'

'The first goal was beautiful because we managed to work the ball and it was a great finish,' praises Malouda.

'The full-backs train very hard and the result is what you see at the weekend. It is really hard when you have this sort of opponent because they are running hard all the game.'

The France international winger is speaking as someone who knows all about full backs in opposition. The Stoke defenders were unable to prevent him unleashing a second-half shot that was diverted onto the bar by Thomas Sorensen.

'It was really unlucky. I intercept the ball and then I try to shoot as hard as I could and the keeper did a great save.

'I am pleased [with my form] because this year I started well, I am fit, no injuries and I hope it will be the same for all the season.

'Now we play Cluj and we respect this team because of what they did in Rome two weeks ago but if we play like we did against Stoke, with a lot of quality, we can have a good result away.'