Premier League Chelsea exposed a gulf in class when they defeated French champions Olympique Marseille 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.
Chelsea's superiority was so great in a one-sided Group F match, especially in the first half, that the match was over as a contest long before halftime even though they failed to add to John Terry's and Nicolas Anelka's goals scored inside the first 28 minutes.
Marseille manager Didier Deschamps, a former Chelsea favorite and an FA Cup winner with the Blues in 2000, marveled at Chelsea's performance afterwards, saying he believed they were one of the favorites to win this season's competition, despite a recent mini-slump domestically.
"We were dominated both physically and technically, there was a huge gulf in class between the two sides," Deschamps told reporters. "Chelsea had a very effective first half and we lacked a bit of aggression.”
“Although we did better in the second half, you have to say they could easily have scored a third.
"We came here full of ambition, and full of hope, and despite the fact they had some of their main players missing they were still full of internationals.”
He added, "We were vastly inferior in the first half at least and Chelsea remain one of the favorites to be champions of Europe. They were so solid and efficient."
Marseille could have done with the kind of industrious midfield graft that Deschamps was famous for in his pomp.
Instead, their midfield was overrun by Chelsea's with Michael Essien the dominant force, helping Chelsea to take a stranglehold on the game after Terry scored with a deft flick from a Gael Kakuta corner after seven minutes.
They effectively sealed the points when Anelka scored with a 28th-minute penalty.
Ancelotti delight
Underpinning every attack was an inspired Florent Malouda, who tormented the Marseille defense with his jinking runs and invention. French youngster Kakuta also terrorized his compatriots with a glittering performance on the other flank.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, happy for his side to avoid a third successive defeat after losses to Newcastle United and Manchester City in the past week, was delighted.
"It was an important result after those two defeats, which we can now forget about," he told reporters.
"Now we have six points, we are top of the group and have a good chance of finishing first.”
