Chelsea 3-0 Olympiacos: Blues hardly break sweat

Chelsea cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a comprehensive victory over Olympiacos at Stamford Bridge.
On the eve of this second leg, Avram Grant was lost for words to describe what failure in this tie would mean - and the Greeks' performance may have summed up why.

While Arsenal had to produce an epic performance to defeat AC Milan, Chelsea's passage was much easier, particularly after taking the lead early on.

The goalscorers illustrated the selection problems Grant faces. The first two strikes came from Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard, who effectively kept Michael Essien on the bench.

Salomon Kalou grabbed the third, the Ivory Coast international preferred as a wide forward to Nicolas Anelka.

Accommodating high-profile players, though, is a pressure Grant insists he is relishing, and there was little else to trouble him in terms of the opposition.

The only negative aspect of the evening was the news of goalkeeper Petr Cech picking up an injury and missing the game. Initial reports were of an ankle complaint, and Grant revealed it would need a scan.

Carlo Cudicini, Cech's replacement, could not have chosen a better game to step in for Grant's first-choice stopper. He barely touched the ball in the first 45 minutes.

The hosts had already offered an early warning when Kalou slipped Ashley Cole through and the full-back drove in the a low cross that had to be cleared by Julio Cesar.

It mattered little, though, as Ballack grabbed the fifth-minute opener from the throw. Lampard took a touch on the flank to steady himself for a cross then found Ballack at the near post, who planted his header beyond Antonios Nikopolidis.

It was with the German midfielder's fifth goal of the season, his first in the Champions League campaign after getting brought back into the European squad for the knockout stages.

Didier Drogba could have doubled the lead after midfielder Cole skipped down the left and found the Ivory Coast striker, but the finish was too high.

Claude Makelele, encouraged by the crowd to add to his two Chelsea goals, also shot from long distance but Nikopolidis saved easily.

"We're up against a team who are no mugs,'' wrote skipper John Terry in his programme notes, although he and Ricardo Carvalho did their best to make them look just that.

Darko Kovacevic looked as toothless as he was during his unsuccessful spell at Sheffield Wednesday in the mid-1990s before he went on prove himself in Spain.

He was not helped by a lack of support. Their one moment of promise in the first half, when Vassilis Torosidis crossed from the right, came to nothing as his ball eluded Predrag Djordjevic.

Chelsea's second came in the 25th minute, with the role of provider and goalscorer reversed from the opener.

Makelele won a header on the edge of the area after a corner was not cleared, Terry then nodded towards Ballack beyond the Olympiacos defence. Ballack's finish was parried by Nikopolidis and Lampard tapped in the rebound.

Going in search of a third, Terry ran powerfully out of defence and crossed, with Ballack appearing to be impeded when he met the pass on the edge of the area.

The hosts started the second half as they had the first, with Lampard getting a shot blocked two minutes after the restart.

From the corner, taken by Lampard, Kalou stabbed in from close range after Drogba and Carvalho failed to get contact on their efforts.

Now in total cruise control, Grant's men should have added another when Kalou played Lampard through but the England midfielder screwed his shot wide.

Leonardo and Fernando Belluschi were brought on to give a different edge to the Olympiacos attack, with the latter forcing a save from Cudicini with a free-kick. It was their first shot of the game, after an hour, and the stand-in stopper did not have to move to keep the ball out.

Drogba was sent through at the other end and had the ball in the net, but the assistant referee had flagged for offside.

Belluschi also struck the bar and Cudicini was required to make a double save from a free-kick, but it would have not mattered.