Battling Blues see off Black Cats

CARLO ANCELOTTI picked up his first Premier League away win as Chelsea were once again made to come from behind to claim victory.

The visitors went in at the break trailing to Darren Bent’s second goal in as many games for Sunderland. But once Michael Ballack had fired them level within seven minutes of the restart, they never looked back.

Frank Lampard handed them the lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later and Deco added a third with a sweet 70th-minute strike.

Ancelotti praised his side’s resilience in battling back for the third time this season to climb to the top of the Barclays Premier League table.

“It can happen in football and it’s important to have a good reaction, not to be afraid. You have to maintain control of the game and we have done that in those three matches.”

The visitors, who replaced Ricardo Carvalho with Branislav Ivanovic at the back – perhaps in an attempt to limit the blossoming Bent-Kenwyne Jones partnership – and introduced Ballack, Deco and Salomon Kalou further up the field, dominated possession. But, crucially, they were unable to make the pressure tell.

The visitors may have considered themselves a little unfortunate when Jones’ 18th-minute shot on the turn, blocked at source by Ivanovic, ran invitingly into Bent’s path. Michael Essien was caught cold as the striker, who adopted a position wide on the left for much of the game, pounced to slide a shot past keeper Petr Cech.

Chelsea’s response was committed, but largely toothless, Deco sending a 21st-minute snap-shot well wide as Marton Fulop enjoyed a relatively comfortable opening 45 minutes.

However, he needed Cattermole, like Bent making his debut at the Stadium of Light, to preserve his clean sheet seven minutes before the break. Deco’s corner was cleared to Ballack on the edge of the penalty area and his stinging volley looked destined for the back of the net until the midfielder cleared off the line.

Chelsea picked up where they had left off after the break, pinning Sunderland back. Lampard drilled a long-range shot into the side-netting within seconds and then provided the cross from which Ivanovic forced Fulop into his first save of the game from his downward header.

The breakthrough finally arrived with 52 minutes gone when Ivanovic climbed to help on Lampard’s corner and Ballack steered a left-foot volley home.

Chelsea took the lead only nine minutes later. Drogba’s trickery tempted George McCartney into an untidy challenge inside the box and referee Steve Bennett had little choice but to point to the spot. Lampard stepped up to send Fulop the wrong way. .

There were 20 minutes remaining when full-back Jose Bosingwa found Deco on the edge of the area, and he fired home from 18 yards.

Asked if Deco could yet leave, Ancelotti said: “No. He doesn’t want to change and we don’t want to change.”

SUNDERLAND: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Henderson, Cattermole (Leadbitter 62), Cana, Richardson (Reid 84), Jones (Campbell 62), Bent.

CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Ashley Cole, Essien, Ballack, Lampard, Kalou (Malouda 76), Drogba (Sturridge 84), Deco (Shevchenko 86).