Chelsea had won their last two games 6-0 and could – maybe should – have scored as many here in continuing their perfect start to the season. However, Carlo Ancelotti, their manager, was well aware that the run could not continue and was simply glad to see Florent Malouda and then Didier Drogba, from the penalty spot, score the goals that kept his side at the top of the nascent league table.

Chelsea actually beat the same opponents 7-0 in April and a similar scoreline could have resulted if any of the Blues’ early attempts on goal had been successful. With just five minutes gone, Ashley Cole hooked his shot wide from close range, and he later hit the crossbar. Frank Lampard saw his penalty saved the midfielder’s third consecutive miss from the spot for club and country – by Thomas Sorensen five minutes later. Drogba also tested the Dane from 35 yards.

Stoke had started by pushing the champions. Dean Whitehead forced a good save from Petr Cech after eight minutes and Jonathan Walters found the roof of the net, but their threat was snuffed out after that, except for a stunning effort from 35 yards by Glenn Whelan after an hour, that thudded against Cech’s bar.

The first goal, from a team that had already scored 12 this season, was inevitable after the early pressure and it duly came after 32 minutes when John Terry found Malouda, who calmly scored his fourth of the season from just inside the area.

Yet Chelsea, despite dominating possession, stopped creating chances in the second half. Drogba’s header into Sorensen’s arms from Nicolas Anelka’s cross was an exception.

The scoreline only reflected the match more accurately 14 minutes from the end when Anelka was tripped by Sorensen, who had rushed off his line. With Lampard off the pitch, Drogba made no mistake from the penalty spot.

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• Brazilian confident he is well-equipped able to handle himself
• Midfielder called ‘Blue Kenyan’ at Cruzeiro for his strength

Chelsea’s most significant signing of the summer, the £18.2m Brazilian Ramires, believes he has the resilience and aggression to flourish in the Premier League with the former Benfica midfielder expected to be involved at some stage against Stoke this afternoon.

The 23-year-old is slender of frame and was nicknamed the “Blue Kenyan” while at Cruzeiro, where his energy and ability to dominate midfield caught the eyes of scouts from the Portuguese club and prompted his £5m move to Lisbon a year ago. Ramires is most likely to be utilised at the base of Chelsea’s midfield, in a role currently held by Mikel John Obi, but he can be employed across the middle with the physical reputation of the Premier League clearly holding few fears.

“I understand what this league is all about,” said Ramires. “I’ve watched it on the television and I know that physical strength is the main part of the English game. But I’m hard, too. I’m tough. I hope I can build up my strength to be on the same level as everyone else, but it’s already hard to put me down. I’ve been away from Brazil for over a year now, playing in Europe. I know the football in Portugal isn’t as physical as it is over here, sure, but it’s still tough.

“I know tackles will be flying in, and it’ll be aggressive, but I can do that too. I know what to expect. It won’t be a surprise for me. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, too. I like that side to the game and I can stand up for myself. People called me the ‘Blue Kenyan’ [Cruzeiro played in blue] because I put so much hard work on the pitch and never stop running. But I’m a tackler, too. It’s been a characteristic of my style in the past, so I’m relishing that side of the game over here.”

Ramires hails from Barra do Pirai in Rio de Janeiro and his rise to prominence was relatively swift. As a 16-year-old he was combining football training as a youngster at Joinville, a small club in Santa Catarina, with work on a building site to earn extra money for his family.

“I’d work Tuesday and Thursdays from 7am to 4pm, then go to football practice afterwards, and then 7 to 11am on Saturday,” he said. “I was earning between 80 and 100 reals (£30-35) every 15 days. I’m not ashamed of that. That experience made me the man I am today, giving me the character I am now. When I look back at that time, it helps me keep my feet on the ground. Everything I do is about helping my family back home, and that hasn’t changed. All those experiences, working hard as I did, made me what I am today. For now, I just want to make my mark here at Chelsea. The team have been playing wonderful football, and I want to be a part of that.”

Carlo Ancelotti, who will be without Branislav Ivanovic with a back complaint this afternoon, does not anticipate making any more signings before the end of the month and is content with the strength of his squad after 6-0 victories home and away at the start of the new campaign. “For us, the transfer window is closed already,” he said.Copy ends

ChelseaDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk