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Chelsea   2 - 1   Fulham

Chelsea opened up a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table as they came from behind to beat Fulham.

The visitors stunned Chelsea by taking the lead after four minutes when Zoltan Gera hooked in from 12 yards.

Fulham then defended comfortably as Chelsea struggled to make an impact but Didier Drogba finally got the equaliser when he headed in at the far post.

And an unfortunate own goal by Chris Smalling handed Chelsea a victory that had looked unlikely for long spells.

For much of the match Chelsea looked short of ideas and out-of-sorts as Fulham produced a performance that was full of commitment and excellent defending.

Even without the injured Brede Hangeland, Fulham looked comfortable at the back – until John Pantsil went off injured, and that was perhaps the turning point of the game.

Until then Pantsil had got the better of Drogba in an excellent battle, with the Ivorian striker cutting a frustrated figure.

But in the end Drogba helped give Chelsea the perfect farewell present before he heads off to the African Cup of Nations.

It was a crushing blow for Fulham but worse was to follow.

Three minutes later, Daniel Sturridge’s cross-shot was beaten out by Schwarzer but it hit Smalling and he put through his own net trying to clear.

Kalou clipped the bar with a shot late on, but the result was already harsh enough on Fulham.

Chelsea, however, will be buoyed by a victory that was achieved when they were far from their best.

Yet it might have been so different. If ever there was a perfect time for Fulham to play Chelsea, perhaps this was it with the Blues having won only one of their five previous games in December.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Birmingham that his side were lacking confidence and that was certainly in evidence.

The Italian made six changes to his line-up but the number of alterations outweighed the number of chances created.

Time and again Fulham easily repelled half-hearted Chelsea attacks

Right from the start, Chelsea looked off key and when skipper John Terry failed to head away Paul Konchesky’s cross, Gera was on hand to hook the ball in after Bobby Zamora had nodded it his way.

A miserable afternoon for Terry continued when he suffered cuts under his eye and on his cheek after a clash with team-mate Yuri Zhirkov, who will not look back fondly on his first Premier League start.

For all their possession, Chelsea barely forced a save from Mark Schwarzer in the first half – the Australian easily gathered two Drogba efforts, while Salomon Kalou dragged a shot well wide.

And just after the break, Zamora should have punished Chelsea when he intercepted Ricardo Carvalho’s backpass but Petr Cech made a fine save.

That might have wrapped up Fulham’s second victory over Chelsea in the last three decades, but instead they ended up suffering a 17th defeat.

Drogba gave warning that Chelsea were far from finished when he tested Schwarzer with a fizzing shot.

And it was Drogba who hauled his side back into the game when he exploited the space at right-back, after Pantsil had been forced off injured, and headed in Paulo Ferreira’s far-post cross.

It was a crushing blow for Fulham but worse was to follow.

Three minutes later, Daniel Sturridge’s cross-shot was beaten out by Schwarzer but it hit Smalling and he put through his own net trying to clear.

Kalou clipped the bar with a shot late on, but the result was already harsh enough on Fulham.

Chelsea, however, will be buoyed by a victory that was achieved when they were far from their best.

Sven-Goran Eriksson has declared that he plans to win the Champions League with League Two club Notts County

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The Swede, director of football at County, would not be satisfied with reaching the Premier League – and is already setting his sights on Europe.

"When we are in the Premier League, the dream will then be to play in the Champions League – and then to win that. It is simply human nature," Eriksson told the Daily Mirror.

"It is of course easy to sit and talk about it, but it's very difficult to achieve."

The former Englandmanager is determined to face Manchester United and Chelsea within five years of undertaking the project, and is confident that the club can achieve that with their owners' backing.

"The dream now is to play in League One next season, then you take it higher and higher," he added.

"But it is very clear you don't win the Champions League or Premier League without money.

"So the finance is very important if we are to do what we set out to do. This is a beautiful project and I am totally committed."