Kalou 2

                                                                                                                        Drogba 30

An awesome first-half display by Chelsea threatened humiliation for newly-promoted Blackpool as the Blues swept into a four-goal half-time lead.

And only uncharacteristic wastefulness prevented Chelsea adding more goals in a more competitive second half.

Chelsea were ahead on 71 seconds, before Blackpool had touched the ball. Florent Malouda’s left-wing corner was flicked on by Branislav Ivanovic to Salomon Kalou, who fired home left-footed.

Malouda scored the second himself, ten minutes later, tapping-in Didier Drogba’s cross from close range.

Drogba scored the third himself, on the half-hour, with a deflected right-foot shot from Ashley Cole’s square ball.

And Malouda made it 4-0, on 41 minutes, with a low left-foot drive past Blackpool keeper Matthew Gilks’ left hand from Kalou’s crossfield pass.

Alex Baptiste in the first half, and DJ Campbell and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the second, fashioned chances for the Seasiders.

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech denied Baptiste and Taylor-Fletcher, while Ivanovic cleared Campbell’s effort off the line.

But Blackpool were grateful to Gilks for denying Kalou and Malouda, while Kalou and Drogba were off-target with clear chances.

And Blackpool fans thought Marlon Harewood had scored a late consolation. But their cheers subsided when they realised he had hit the side-netting.