Chelsea's Ashley Cole strikes late to break stubborn Stoke City * Share 0 * * * Email * Observer report * Match facts * Ratings Premier League Chelsea 1 * Cole 85 Stoke City 0 * Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge * The Observer, Saturday 22 September 2012 17.01 BST * Jump to comments (…) Stoke City's Peter Crouch and Chelsea's David Luiz Stoke City's Peter Crouch, left, in action with Chelsea's David Luiz at Stamford Bridge. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images Ashley Cole popped up five minutes from time to score his first Chelsea goal in over two years and give his team a generous reward for an uncertain performance. Chelsea went into the match on top of the league but that fact did not fool anyone into thinking this team is flawless. The demolition by Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup, followed by error-strewn draws with Queen's Park Rangers and Juventus left plenty of room for doubt about the rebuilding at Stamford Bridge.The team's transition is far from complete. Manager Roberto Di Matteo showed his determination to press on with change by leaving John Terry and Frank Lampard on the bench and deploying the three midfielders who have been bought to revamp the side's style: Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard began together for the first time, forming a trio of inventors just behind Fernando Torres. Chelsea began well and forced a flurry of early corners but the effects of the hosts' unfamiliarity with each other soon became apparent, as passes were mislaid and intentions misread. There also seemed to be a systemic problem as, despite Stoke's solidity in the centre, Chelsea persisted in trying to pick a way through the middle, occasional bursts down the right by Branislav Ivanonic being the only use that was made of the wings. On the one occasion in the first half where Chelsea's intricacy was precise enough to undo diligent Stoke, Torres fluffed in all too familiar fashion. The Spaniard made a clever run to collect Juan Mata's dinked pass in the 26 th minute and killed the ball beautifully on his chest but then, with only goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to beat from close range, he embarrassed himself with a miskick. "Didier Drogba, he would have scored that!" taunted the Stoke fans, who had a point. The effect of that mishap the Torres' already bruised confidence seemed clear later in the half when he twice shunned clear attempts to shoot and attempted superfluous passes instead. Stoke could have been in front even before Torres' miss, Jonathan Walters having powered a header against the bar in the 19th minute after he and Robert Huth were left unmarked to attacked a Glenn Whelan freekick. Stoke threatened again just before the break, as Michael Kighlty tried to bundle the ball into the net following a driven cross by Geoff Cameron. But he could not get a good enough connection to beat Cech. Not until the second half did Chelsea's conjurers summon magic. Beguiling interlay between Hazard and Oscar bewitched the visiting defence before the Brazilian collapsed in the box under a challenge from Ryan Shawcross. The referee made Oscar a grouch by booking him for simulation. He came close to cheering himself up two minutes later but Begovic blocked his well-struck shot from the edge of the area. Chelsea still looked short of ideas. Roberto Di Matteo sought to stimulate improvement by replacing Hazard with another summer recruit, Victor Moses. The Nigeria international's first contribution was to unhinge Stoke's defence with a storming run through the middle in the 67th minute, before slipping the ball to Oscar, whose low 18-yard shot was stopped by Begovic. Oscar's influence was growing, but that of Torres was receding to the point that the striker was irrelevant as Chelsea chased victory in the closing stages. Despite the manager's claims to the contrary, the lack of an obvious alternative on the bench must worry Di Matteo. Stoke came close to scoring on the counter-attack when Kenwyne Jones nodded long cross into the path of fellow substitute Mathew Etherington, who dragged his shot wide from 12 yards. Chelsea finally broke through with five minutes to go. Ivanovic fired a low cross in from the right wing and Mata helped it on to Cole, who until then had been reluctant to get forward. Having finally decided to do so, he finished with aplomb, clipping the ball over Begovic from six yards. David Luiz was lucky to escape with only a yellow card when he recklessly chopped down Walters as Stoke sought an equaliser in stoppage time.