Soccer UEFA Champions League: For so sober and meticulous a team, Chelsea have made surprisingly short work of Group H. The holders Porto clutch just one point after this and Paris St-Germain none at all, making the progress of Jose Mourinho's men virtually certain.
They were too steely, and with a pair of headed goals from free-kicks, too strong for the side he once controlled. His philosophy now flourishes in London.
At the heart of Mourinho's dictatorship there lies a meritocracy. This is not the first occasion in which the manager has proved to Alexei Smertin that his promise of equal opportunity is no platitude. Perhaps mindful of the tirelessness of Maniche and Costinha in Porto's midfield, he preferred the perpetual motion of the Russia to the more studied Tiago in his own line-up.
Not even Mourinho can anticipate every eventuality, but the surprises still seem to do his bidding. Who thought that Smertin would score his first goal for the Stamford Bridge club here let alone take a paltry seven minutes of this fixture to do so? Damien Duff released Eidur Gudjohnsen on the left and although Smertin slightly mishit the cut-back, it skipped into the corner of the net.
Porto, with their lack of marking, were guilty of a laxity then that would have been inconceivable while Mourinho was there. He could well hover in his old club's thoughts for decades to come and already he is the subject of ugly obsession.
A prominent figure in the Porto supporters' association, who has a history of conflict with Mourinho, tried to spit on him when the manager came out of the tunnel half-an-hour before kick-off. Security men then led the offender away.
Chelsea have their own way of choking off hostility. Expecting to score against them has been a pipedream for everyone this season except Southampton's James Beattie. And even he was set up by the folly of Joe Cole's misdirected pass.
On Saturday, Middlesbrough could not steer a solitary attempt on target. Porto had done fractionally better than that by half-time, although Luis Fabiano's shot was directed from such an angle that Petr Cech had merely to gather it.
Two minute before the interval, the Brazilian striker was the cause of more agitation but Costinha could not reach his troubling cross. Chelsea's back four, where William Gallas again had to deputise for the injured Wayne Bridge, rarely had to show off its vigour at that stage.
Porto are much depleted since their Champions League glory four months ago. The defence has been ravaged by the loss of Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho to Chelsea, but resilience and confidence are also diminished.
A 1-0 lead seems to make Chelsea content. Gudjohnsen, offering more willingness to press into the penalty area, did put a low ball beyond a post after resisting Pepe's challenge and the Icelander threaded a pass that Vitor Baia saved at Duff's feet, but there was no gusto overall to Chelsea's display for a while.
Yet perhaps will start to appreciate the tempo they aim for over the course of an evening. Just as Porto had begun to bustle, Chelsea scored again. Didier Drogba, having been fouled by Ricardo Costa, headed home Duff's inswinging free-kick from the right after 50 minutes.
Should Mourinho have any reproaches, they will probably concern the offences that brought bookings for Gallas, Carvalho and Smertin. These cautions may be cursed if they are followed by suspensions and Chelsea should have been able to contain any threat more judiciously.
Porto still give off some sparks of pride and can be nimble. The predatory substitute Benni McCarthy manoeuvred to force a parry from Cech and then, after 68 minutes, scored. A drive from his fellow substitute Roberto Carlos seemed to take a deflection and Chelsea's goalkeeper fended it into McCarthy's path.
A bottle was thrown on to the pitch from the Porto section but belligerence was soon tamed. From another set-piece, flighted by Frank Lampard and headed in by the stooping John Terry, Mourinho's team restored their two-goal lead.
A later free-kick saw a further Chelsea effort disallowed for offside. There may have been a small error of judgment there by their players but repeated exploitation of Porto's failing in such situations was proof of high professionalism.
CHELSEA: Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Smertin, Makelele, Lampard, Duff (Tiago 66), Gudjohnsen (Kezman 80), Drogba. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Johnson, Cole, Geremi, Huth. Booked: Gallas, Ricardo Carvalho, Smertin.
FC PORTO: Baia; Bosingwa, Pepe, J Costa, R Costa, Derlei (Postiga 80), Maniche, Diego, Costinha, Quaresma ( Alberto 58), Fabiano (McCarthy 57). Subs Not Used: Nuno, Emanuel, Leal, Areias. Booked: Fabiano, Derlei, Pepe.
Referee: H Fandel (Germany).
Guardian Service
