The reserves showed the first team the way this weekend against Liverpool, making amends in style for their poorest performance of the season a month ago.

That was a defeat by two goals against the same opposition in a game played on Merseyside.

Two goals from Miroslav Stoch and two from Jacob Mellis today (Saturday), ensured there would be no repeat of that result in what was an excellent performance at Cobham.

Friendly is not really the correct term for these fixtures. The meetings with Liverpool, Man United and AC Milan have been matches against top clubs intended to compensate for a shortfall in league fixtures. They are played as competitively as any game.

Chelsea stormed into a 3-0 lead by half time in this latest match, Miroslav Stoch scoring from the penalty spot early on after his own run had been ended by a foul in the area.

The winger had been the beneficiary of a couple of fortunate ricochets as he burst through from the left but it was clumsy challenge that took him down and an undisputed penalty award.

With a nod to his Czechoslovakian heritage, he chipped the ball straight with the keeper sprawling in the style of the 1976 European Championship final.

There was a very different finish from Stoch for the second, but with no less quality. Mellis picked out his run with a superb ball between full back and central defender and Stoch side-stepped left of the keeper to find the net.

The third came shortly before the break, Gaël Kakuta accepting a Mellis ball and then finding the England Under 17 international's continued run with a well-judged reverse pass.

Mellis (pictured above taking congratulations) also went round the keeper before slotting home, the sliding defender on the line despairingly deflecting it into the roof of the net.

Liverpool, national champions at reserve level last season, hit the bar soon after the restart but Chelsea hit the post, Mellis, who was having a storming game in midfield, feeding Morten Nielsen to bundle the ball against the woodwork from close range under challenge.

The second half lacked the chances of the first although Nielsen put one wide after another Stoch and Mellis combination. Liverpool shot wide twice in the closing stages but by then, the young Blues had made it 4-0.

This time Stoch (pictured below), out on the right, waited patiently for a gap through to Nielsen in the area who kept the ball moving to Mellis for a confident first-time finish.

'These games are great for both teams,' reported happy reserve team manager Brendan Rodgers afterwards.

'Our standard has been very high this season and the game away at Liverpool was the only time we have slipped below it.

'That showed that when you do slip below, good teams will punish you. Mentally we were way off and there were a number of reasons for that. I think some felt disappointed they weren't involved in the Carling Cup and sometimes that can spread through the team.

'The most important thing was we learnt from that game, worked on some things tactically and the outcome was we were very good today.

'Defensively we were terrific, our organisation was good in the difficult spaces which gave us the basis to attack and we have scored plenty of goals and created lots of chances this season.

'Our movement and incision was excellent and we could have had one or two more. I think we will get better as the season goes on. The players are growing every day and hopefully it will ultimately lead to one or two breaking through.'

Chelsea Rhys Taylor; Nana Ofori-Twumasi, Michael Mancienne, Jeffrey Bruma (Tom Taiwo), Carl Magnay, Jacob Mellis, Michael Woods (Sergio Tejera), Liam Bridcutt (c), Gaël Kakuta (Ricardo Fernandes), Fabio Borini (Morten Nielsen), Miroslav Stoch.