Ancelotti praises Anelka after victory
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti praised striker Nicolas Anelka's performance against MSK Zilina on Wednesday.
Anelka led his side to a 4–1 victory by scoring two goals and setting up another in his team's first European fixture this season. His first contribution came 13 minutes into the first half, as he unselfishly pulled a ball back for Michael Essien to open
Chelsea's scoring after rushing into the box.
The Frenchman then raced onto Florent Malouda's through ball after 22 minutes, taking one touch before steering a left-footed shot under Zilina keeper Martin Dubravka and into the far corner. Four minutes later, Anelka showed his striker's instinct in the
box after John Terry headed into the bar, calmly slotting the loose ball into the net.
"Anelka was fantastic. A fantastic performance," Ancelotti told Sky Sports of his striker's performance after the game.
Anelka has played for eight different clubs during his professional career, but since joining Chelsea in 2008 he no longer looks unsettled. He featured regularly for the club during his first two seasons, scoring 30 goals in 70 league appearances.
Immaculate start to the season
Ancelotti's team have made a flawless start to the season, winning all four league games and scoring 17 goals in the league. Aside from a home encounter with Zilina, Chelsea will also face Spartak Moscow and Olympique de Marseille in their Champions League
group.
"I was very happy with the way we started the game, we knew the opposition would attack so we used the speed of our strikers on the counter-attack," Ancelotti commented. "It was a very important win for us. We are doing very well at the moment - we have
started well in the Premier League and the Champions League."
Chelsea host Blackpool in their next Premier League game this Sunday, for which midfielder Frank Lampard is expected to have recovered from his hernia problem.
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