Two for Eto’o as Chelsea see off Schalke

Chelsea 3 Schalke 0

Samuel Eto’o netted twice as Chelsea took a huge step towards the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Eto’o, playing in place of the injured Fernando Torres, scored after charging down a kick by keeper Timo Hildebrand on the half-hour mark and doubled the lead nine minutes after the interval.

Substitute Demba Ba’s late goal meant the Blues repeated their 3-0 victory over Schalke in the reverse fixture two weeks ago.

The result put Chelsea three points clear at the top of Group E with two matches to play and their shock home defeat against Basel now a distant memory.

And the strength of their squad was again evident, with Frank Lampard, David Luiz and Ashley Cole among the substitutes for their seventh win in eight matches.

They were gifted the opening goal by Hildebrand, who inexplicably hesitated and allowed Eto’o to block his clearance, with the ball ending up in the net.

Hildebrand had produced a fine early save, diving to claw Andre Schurrle’s free-kick away from the top corner.

Until that point Schalke had looked dangerous, with Julian Draxler, Adam Szalai and Christian Fuchs all firing wide during a lively start by the German side.

But Hildebrand’s blunder changed the course of the game and the second goal put Jose Mourinho’s men in complete control.

Willian was the creator, beating his man and then playing in Eto’o, whose first touch was immaculate and his finish precise.

Lampard came on and made an immediate impact, lifting the ball over a beleaguered defence for Ba to brilliantly volley home.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Mikel; Schurrle (De Bruyne 78), Oscar (Lampard 81), Willian; Eto’o (Ba 77).
Subs not used: Cole, Luiz, Mata, Schwarzer.

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook