Perhaps someone stirred the spirit of Peter Osgood, the legendary striker who died seven years ago and is interred beneath the penalty spot at the Shed End. Is Ossie back to help in a time of need? Certainly something is spooking out the goalkeepers in that penalty area.

First there was Cardiff’s David Marshall, who was robbed of the ball by Samuel Eto’o as the goalkeeper bounced it and prepared to kick from his hands. Then there was Joe Hart’s rush of blood and communication breakdown, which presented Chelsea with a late win and cost the England goalkeeper his place in the Manchester City team.

We can add to that list Timo Hildebrand, Schalke keeper and German international, who was also out-witted by Eto’o. Chelsea had been misfiring for half an hour when Hildebrand rolled the ball out before him and casually surveyed the 21 other players on the pitch. Or at least he surveyed some of them. He failed to notice to Eto’o, lurking to his right, crouching, sprung and ready to explode in a sprint for the ball if Hildebrand continued to dither. And dither he did.

By the time the keeper had finally got around to swinging his boot at the ball, his kick merely slammed into Eto’o and rebounded as if remote controlled into the net.

With this turn of fortune, Chelsea were on their way to total control of Group E. A point in their next game in Basle will take them into the last 16 and any win from the final two games and they will top the group, thus cleansing the ignominy of this time last year, when they became the first champions to go out at the group stage.

Even Roman Abramovich seemed satisfied as he strolled across the pitch and towards the dressing room after the game. Eto’o’s strange goal had soothed the anxiety generated by defeat at Newcastle. A little of the pressure lifted from what had threatened to be an awkward fixture and poor Hildebrand became a figure of fun for the crowd to toy with for the rest of the evening.

‘Whooooooaaaaaaaaah,’ they would roar whenever the ball came into his orbit and at one point, full-back Atsuto Uchida actually ushered Eto’o out of range as he threatened to ambush the goalkeeper again.

Eto’o pounced for the second, nine minutes after the break, this time a somewhat more orthodox and lethal finish — the type associated with this veteran centre forward — after neat footwork and an astute pass by Willian. Demba Ba added a third, seven minutes from time, and there were strong performances at the back from John Terry and Gary Cahill and a fine display in goal by Petr Cech, who made one crucial save low to his right from Julian Draxler with the score at 1-0.

‘My favourite players are the players who win matches for me, not the ones who lose matches for me,’ said Jose Mourinho.

Having made six changes to avenge his fury after Newcastle, the manager needed a win. Frank Lampard, David Luiz, Ashley Cole and Juan Mata were all stuck on the bench, Fernando Torres was out injured — scans yesterday suggest he will be out for at least three weeks — and Eden Hazard sat behind the bench in his leather jacket. Hazard, who was in France on Sunday to watch his former club Lille beat Monaco, was late back and missed an important training session, according to Mourinho. This was his punishment.

With Cole still struggling with the rib injury he first suffered in September, Cesar Azpilicueta deputised again at left back, as he did in Gelsenkirchen when Chelsea also won 3-0. Both teams had something to prove last night but the Londoners started sloppily and Schalke opened with greater intensity than they delivered in the first game.

Draxler swept a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area and then Adam Szalai, who engaged in a physical duel with Terry, was equally close to the same corner soon after. Chelsea seemed unable to match to the tempo set by the visitors and unable to get playmaker Oscar onto the ball. Christian Fuchs darted in from the left and lashed a low drive across goal and wide on the other side.

Schalke manager Jens Keller spun on the spot in frustration. He had seen three good opportunities missed and must have realised Mourinho’s team would solve their problems. Perhaps he had a feeling mistakes were lurking in his own side.

Azpilicueta caught Draxler in possession deep in his own territory and drew the foul. Draxler was booked and Andre Schurrle whipped the free-kick towards the top corner, only to see it pawed away by Hildebrand, who was then caught out by Eto’o. The striker looks much sharper than when he first arrived from Anzhi Makhachkala in August and he ran straight to his manager to celebrate and Mourinho seemed keen to take some of the credit as they shared a joke.

‘It was not a surprise for me that he arrived here not in the best condition after two years in Anzhi,’ said Mourinho. ‘Now, step by step, he’s growing. He’s 32, but fit and slim. Not a heavy boy. He’s intelligent of course. Goals give confidence. The first one was a “fox” goal. The second goal was a very good collective goal: Willian’s choice was fantastic, Ramires’ run to give him an extra option was fantastic, and Samuel’s movement was excellent.’

Two substitutes combined for the third with a pass from Lampard to Ba who converted it with a smart volley. It was his first goal since the FA Cup semi-final in April. If the strikers are going to start scoring goals, Ossie can rest again.

Samuel Eto’o has previous when it comes to robbing goalkeepers…

Eto’o came under fire in October when he kicked the ball out of Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall’s control, resulting in Chelsea scoring an equaliser against Malky Mackay’s side.

The Blues went on to win the game 4-1 but according to FA rules, the Cameroonian striker should not have been allowed to challenge Marshall for the ball and therefore the goal should not have stood. Fortunately for the Stamford Bridge faithful, Eto’o’s strike against Schalke was completely legitimate.

 And look who was watching…

Tennis superstars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were in attendance at Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea beat Schalke. Nadal, fresh from beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena on Wednesday afternoon, was spotted taking photos on the pitch before kick-off.

Djokovic faces Juan Martin del Potro in the same tournament on Thursday and the Serbian looked in good spirits as he joked with a friend during the game.

— Daily Mail