The perfect start to the Champions League campaign continues with the scalping of the European Champions, courtesy of another unforgettable strike by Didier Drogba.
Petr Cech, watching from his hospital bed, received the perfect tonic as he saw his stand-in, Hilario, cheered off the pitch; Lampard and Essien drive their Barcelona equivalents back time and time again while the hyper-confident Drogba worried the Spaniards defence to a degree that anyone will do very well to match this season.
His fourth European goal leaves him clear as current Champions League top scorer.
Twenty-four hours earlier, José Mourinho had listed his striker as a fitness concern, but he plus Ashley Cole and Claude Makelele were declared fit enough to start.
That meant all change at full-back from the Reading game with Khalid Boulahrouz moving across the right side and Ricardo Carvalho restored to the centre.
With Michael Ballack available, the diamond midfield was restored with Andriy Shevchenko and Drogba paired up front.
While most eyes after kick-off would soon be on a debutant in goal, in the minutes beforehand, a recently departed favourite who had played 263 games for Chelsea was thanked.
Barcelona’s centre-forward on the night, Eidur Gudjohnsen, received a special presentation to a tremendous ovation and from that point, the atmosphere began to warm-up.
The 35,000 flags distributed proved an undisputed success as the stands turned blue and white to the strains of ‘Blue is the Colour’, belted out by an opera singer. The spectacle continued as the two teams emerged and on through the Champions League anthem.
Chelsea responded with a positive start, embodied by Terry carrying the ball deep into the Barcelona half like a latter day Beckenbauer, forcing a mistake from the defence before crossing too strongly.
Edmilson attempted an early test of Hilario from 35 yards out but got no power or direction on his shot.
As Chelsea responded with an attack, Drogba was scythed down by Zambrotta out wide as the Blues continued to look capable of troubling our fluorescent orange-coloured opponents.
Zambrotta was next seen in attack, air-kicking at a chance at the far-post as the Chelsea goal looked briefly exposed.
On 16 minutes, Mourinho’s men looked to have broken through the final line of the Barça defence. Essien superbly powered past Deco and found Drogba whose shot was prodded past keeper Valdes.
Rolling goalwards, it was cleared just in time by stretching Marquez. Shevchenko, who had also been chasing in, was then upended by the same defender with the ball escaping. The Ukrainian claimed a penalty, the ref gave a corner.
When the ball came over, Sheva reached it first but headed off-target.
On 23 minutes came Hilario’s first test and and he passed it with confidence. Chelsea allowed themselves to become outnumbered as Barça broke. Xavi found Messi who from a tight angle still shot on target. The Chelsea debutant keeper demonstrated a strong wrist to push the ball out.
On 29 minutes the Portuguese again acquitted himself well — saving low at his near post from Xavi after a very good Barcelona move in which Ronaldinho’s speed of thought was key.
It took a very well judged sliding challenge from Carvalho to end Messi’s menacing run into the box as half-time approached. The Argentine was booed at every opportunity for his part in the Del Horno red card here back in February.
A Chelsea corner a minute before the whistle fell onto the head of an unattended Ballack but the ball looped tamely into Valdes’s grasp. That had been Chelsea’s clearest chance of the opening period.
Into stoppage time and Barcelona received their first booking of this season’s Champions League tournament — van Bronckhorst quite rightly cautioned for a contemptible bodycheck on Essien.
Scoreless at the break, there had been cause for optimism over that changing in the 45 minutes that remained.
That hope only took a minute to turn into something tangible thanks to Drogba’s unstoppable strike.
Just like his Liverpool spectacular, he received the ball on the edge of the area, this time from Ashley Cole, and turned. No chest and volley on this occasion, instead some neat control on the ground but there was no mistaking the hammered shot into the net.
Chelsea had maintained our record of scoring first in every meeting between the sides at the Bridge.
The celebration was that of someone who valued the goal as highly as any in his career.
A Ronaldinho free-kick was flighted straight into palms of Hilario to huge cheers before the card count was evened-up when Lampard fouled Messi.
Then Chelsea spurned two great openings in quick succession — first Essien spoiled a great run by being too selfish with Chelsea outnumbering Barça three players to two.
Then Shevchenko took a loose touch and shot wide under pressure from Valdes after the excellent Lampard had played him in.
Gudjohnsen’s return lasted an hour, replaced by Giuly. Rijkaard minutes earlier had taken off van Bronckhorst for Iniesta and switched to three at the back.
Xavi was booked on 65 minutes for tripping Drogba who looked set to add his second three minutes later. That was after twisting past Marquez following a great Lampard pass but the shot lacked the power to beat Valdes.
On 73 minutes Barça took off captain Puyol, Oleguer his replacement in the backline.
Two minutes later Mourinho made his first change — Robben for Shevchenko.
Six minutes from time a Messi header looped onto the roof of the net but Chelsea were preserving the lead without recourse to panic.
It would be an exaggeration to suggest the famous Catalan attack was totally shackled, but few teams will keep them this quiet during the season ahead.
Deco collected the third booking for the visitors as Essien, as solid as the old Shed End wall, again proved too powerful for the opposition to halt legally.
Hilario dropped to gather Deco’s 20-yard drive as the final whistle drew very close and the flags began to wave on mass.
Robben was five yards wide from doubling the lead deep into injury time - but one single quality strike was enough and Stamford Bridge cheered the team home.
Werder Bremen’s win at home to Levski Sofia left Barcelona level with the Germans — five points behind Chelsea — and under pressure.
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2) Cech; Boulahrouz, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Makelele; Essien, Lampard; Ballack; Drogba (Kalou 90+1), Shevchenko (Robben 75).
Goal Drogba 46.
Booked Lampard 52.
Barcelona (4-3-3) Valdés; Zambrotta, Márquez, Puyol (Oleguer 73), van Bronckhorst (Iniesta 56); Xavi, Edmilson, Deco; Messi, Gudjohnsen (Giuly 59), Ronaldinho.
Booked van Bronckhorst 45, Xavi 65, Deco 85.
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