Chelsea survive scare to top group

Second half goals from from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda saved Chelsea's blushes at Stamford Bridge after Babtounde Bello had given Zilina a shock 1-0 lead after 19 minutes.

Chelsea went into the match amid uncertainty over the position of manager Carlo Ancelotti, reported to be increasingly disenchanted at the club following the abrupt sacking of assistant Ray Wilkins.

However Chelsea talisman Didier Drogba said afterwards he hoped the victory -- which maintained the club's 100 percent start to the Champions League -- would help speculation surrounding Ancelotti.

"The manager made it clear that he is here and I think we have to focus on the games, on the results," Drogba told Sky Sports. "We have to try to resolve our problems because we are not playing well."

Drogba said Ancelotti's future had not been a topic of discussion amongst Chelsea's players, looking to regroup after suffering back-to-back defeats in the Premier League against Sunderland and Birmingham.

"We don't speak about this (speculation over Ancelotti's future). We stayed focused on the game we lost against Birmingham. We wanted to go back to winning ways," he said.

Needing only a draw to be certain of first place in Group F, Ancelotti rang the changes with youngsters Josh McEachran, Jeffrey Bruma, Gael Kakuta, Patrick van Aanholt and Sturridge all named in the starting line-up.

But the gamble looked like backfiring midway through the first half when Bello combined cleverly with Robert Jez before deftly finishing from the edge of the box to give Zilina an unlikely lead.

The lead was no more than Zilina deserved, the visitors looking anything but overawed in a confident opening period that put Chelsea's youngsters on the back foot.

Chelsea gradually began to up the tempo but it was Zilina who nearly doubled their lead when Jez waltzed through the home defence only to be denied at the near post by Ross Turnbull on 31 minutes.

At the other end, Chelsea were increasingly finding their range, Sturridge rifling in a long-range shot beaten away superbly by Martin Dubravka.

Malouda was the next to test the Zilina defence, sending a dipping shot from 30 yards whizzing just over the bar.

Malouda was back on target moments later when his shot from just outside the area was deflected wide for a corner but the Zilina defence held firm.

Ancelotti had clearly seen enough by half-time, and Chelsea came out for the second half with the dependable Salomon Kalou brought on for Gael Kakuta.

Kalou's introduction had the desired effect and within six minutes of the restart, the Blues had drawn level.

Kalou darted down the left flank and his firm low cross somehow eluded a clutch of Zilina defenders enabling Sturridge to nip in unmarked and tap in.

Drogba thought he'd given Chelsea the lead when his vicious inswinging free-kick was desperately palmed onto the post by Dubravka on 61 minutes.

With Chelsea dominating territory and possession, it was only a matter of time before the Zilina defence buckled.

And on 86 minutes, Malouda duly got their winner, Drogba heading on for Malouda who ghosted in to finish from close range.