Nicolas Anelka scored a goal in each half as Chelsea beat Copenhagen 2-0 Tuesday to take a big step toward the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Anelka gave Chelsea the lead in the 17th minute when he intercepted a sloppy pass by former Blues winger Jesper Gronkjaer in midfield and drove toward the edge of the penalty area before sending a low, hard shot past goalkeeper Johan Wiland.
Frank Lampard then found Anelka with a clever pass in the 54th and the striker doubled the lead with an unstoppable half volley, leaving Copenhagen with a tough task in the return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 16.
''It was a good result, a good performance,'' said Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti. ''We were focused for this game and prepared well. There is good motivation for this competition.''
New signing Fernando Torres made his first Champions League start for the team since his switch from Liverpool, but was thwarted several times by Wiland.
''He played very, very well,'' said Ancelotti. ''The key to this game was the work the strikers did, always dangerous. Torres was unlucky he didn't score but had a fantastic game.''
Chelsea dominated the early exchanges and quickly set about picking holes in the Copenhagen defense. With better finishing, the London club could have led by more at halftime.
Copenhagen displayed good intentions but lacked match sharpness. The Danes lead their domestic league by 19 points but had not played a competitive game for more than two months because of the country's winter break.
Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken said he could have no complaints about the result.
''We lost to a better team today,'' he said. ''We couldn't quite cope with their physique and the tempo was too high for us in periods. Too often we missed the last pass and too often we made technical errors.
Mathias Zanka Joergensen received the first booking of the match when he hauled down the advancing Torres after six minutes. From the resulting free kick, Wiland got down well to smother a shot from the Spaniard, who completed a 50-million-pound (then $81 million) transfer from Liverpool in January.
Torres and Nicolas Anelka linked up well throughout the half and almost forged an opening goal when the Spaniard hooked in a cross from the left. The Frenchman caught the ball on the volley before shooting against a defender's leg and out for a corner.
Malouda then picked up the ball in space on the left wing but directed his low cross too close to Wiland.
But Chelsea deservedly went in front when Anelka latched onto Gronkjaer's wayward pass and evaded Mikael Antonsson's defensive lunge before dispatching his emphatic finish.
Copenhagen emerged for the second half with a renewed sense of purpose and began to trouble Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal, with substitute Martin Vingaard twice finding his range.
But instead Anelka dashed the home team's hopes when he blasted his shot beyond the reach of the hapless Wiland.
Copenhagen defender Zdenech Pospech picked up a yellow card for fouling Torres on the edge of the box and will miss the return leg in London.
The fact that Torres, Malouda and Terry were also booked won't trouble Ancelotti unduly. After a disappointing loss on penalties to Everton in the FA Cup this weekend, his team rediscovered their rhythm in Copenhagen and only a major upset can prevent Chelsea from reaching the quarterfinals.
''My players worked hard, played good football,'' said Ancelotti. ''It is good but it is just the first half and we must play the second stage.''
