Late Danish delight puts Chelsea top

Nordsjaelland 0 Chelsea 4

Juan Mata continued his amazing recent form with his third goal in three games but it took a superb free-kick from David Luiz to open the floodgates as Mata and Ramires sent the European champions top of Group E.

Before that, there were as many questions as answers at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen as Chelsea almost let another lead slip two weeks after blowing a two-goal advantage to draw their opening match against Juventus.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo felt it was a good night’s work for his side in the end after improving in the second half.

He said: “I think we were a little bit slow in the first half, and much better in the second half. The goals came at the end and they took a bit of time.

“All in all I think it’s a good scoreline for us, three points, a clean sheet away from home as well, so it was a pleasing night.”

Chelsea started as if they meant business, Jores Okore hitting his own post clearing Oscar’s cross, with Victor Moses poised to nod home.

Fernando Torres also made a hash of beating the last defender after a lucky break and Lampard sent Mata’s cross over the bar.

Sloppiness soon crept in as Nordsjaelland, whose possession game soon got going, had a couple of sighters before a desperate lunge from Ashley Cole prevented Kaspar Lorentzen turning in John’s cross.

Nordsjaelland continued to make errors, one from Ivan Runje playing in Torres, who fired at the legs of Jesper Hansen.

And it was another mistake that Chelsea punished ruthlessly in the 33rd minute, Torres robbing Enoch Adu and finding Lampard, who showed great vision in feeding Mata to slot home.

Torres should have added the second a minute before the break but shot straight at Hansen after being put clean through by Oscar.

Moses had the ball in the net moments later but the goal was rightly ruled out for his foul on Michael Parkhurst.

Nordsjaelland then assumed total control as Mikkel Beckmann sent a looping header just over from Okore’s long ball, Petr Cech only parried Nicolai Stokholm’s swerving 25-yarder and Beckmann screwed Parkhurst’s cross wide.

Chelsea withdrew Moses for Eden Hazard and Nordsjaelland sent on Mario Ticinovic for Nordstrand and it was the home side’s change which almost paid off when Cech brilliantly saved John’s curler onto the post and Cole was on hand to block Beckmann’s rebound.

The visitors hit back and Runje was lucky to see only yellow for a shocking tackle on Ramires, Oscar lashing the ball home after the whistle had gone.

Mata wasted the free-kick but when Chelsea got another 11 minutes from time, Luiz swerving a vicious shot in off the inside of the near post.

It was game over three minutes later when the champions’ best move of the match ended with a lucky break off a defender, with Mata stroking home.

And there was still time for Ramires to put gloss on the scoreline by tapping home Oscar’s cross.

FC NORDSJAELLAND: Hansen, Parkhurst, Okore, Runje, Mtiliga, Adu, Stokholm, Lorentzen (Laudrup 84), Nordstrand (Ticinovic 65), John, Beckmann (Christensen 75).

CHELSEA: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cahill, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Moses (Hazard 65), Oscar, Mata (Mikel 83),Torres.

Referee: Marijo Strahonja (Croatia).