Scorers:  Stoke: Faye 32

               Chelsea: Drogba 45 + 3, Lampard 90 + 4

Goals deep in stoppage time at the end of each half kept Chelsea at the top of the Premier League with five wins out of five. But Stoke City hearts were broken during the 14 minutes properly added by referee Mike Dean.

Stoke lost 2-1 at Chelsea last season thanks to late goals at the end of the second half. And this time, their misery was compounded by the eight minutes of first-half stoppage time resulting from injuries to two of their key players.

Striker James Beattie turned on his ankle as he landed after shooting wide when well placed after 10 minutes. And they lost goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen later in the half.

But Stoke did take the lead on 32 minutes when Chelsea Petr Cech left himself stranded by coming only halfway to deal with Glenn Whelan’s right-wing cross and Abdoulaye Faye was able to head past him into the net.

Chelsea’s equaliser was superbly made and taken. Frank Lampard’s exquisite reverse pass to Didier Drogba saw the Ivorian striker turn his marker, Faye again, and slam an unstoppable left-foot shot high past substitute keeper Steve Simonsen’s left hand.

Chelsea poured forward throughout the second half but were restricted to only a handful of chances and only one clear strike on goal during the regulation 45 minutes by Stoke’s trademark work rate and in-depth defending.

However, stoppage time brought relief for the Blues once more with a move which, it must be noted, started from the sort of long throw with which Stoke themselves have caused so many well-documented problems.

Substitute Juliano Balletti hurled the ball towards the six-yard box and although Stoke dealt with the first threat, they were helpless when another Chelsea replacement, Florent Malouda, drove a low left-foot shot through a crowded box, which a full-stretch Simonsen could only palm into the net.