It was a comfortable win against a side low on morale rather than a classic display, and Petr Cech had to work for his third clean sheet out of three in Group D. But a shut out was most welcome, as was seeing Lampard back on score sheet and pulling the strings. He also had a big hand in the first and third goals.
There were two changes to the Chelsea defence. The enforced one saw Belletti the replacement for injured Bosingwa. In the centre, Ivanovic came in for Carvalho who was on the bench.
Ballack was back in midfield in place of Malouda with Kalou taking over from suspended Drogba as Anelka's partner in attack.
There was an early advance down the flank by the returning Belletti, on to Essien's pass, but the Brazilian's cross lacked direction.
His next effort on two minutes was more promising but the well-marked Kalou headed wide.
Forlan then tried his luck from distance but shot straight at Cech. On eight minutes the former Man United player did test the Chelsea keeper properly, Cech having to react sharply at his near post to stop a header from a Simao cross. Then Aguero was the beneficiary of a suspect offside decision but shot into the side-netting.
For all their defensive problems, we knew Atlético could trouble any team with their attack and they were showing it in the early stages.
The offside flag again benefitted the Spaniards when Lampard drew their 20-year-old keeper into a howler. The Chelsea vice-captain's free-kick from 35 yards looked a simple task but passed over Sergio Asenjo's grasp and in. Kalou, slightly offside when the kick was taken, had closed the keeper enough to be considered 'active'.
The Ivorian's evening became a lot worse when, with time, he inexplicably turned Ballack's square pass wide from 12 yards out, Deco having done well in the build-up. It was one of the Chelsea misses of the season.
Forlan was soon up the other end forcing a diving save from Cech with an angled shot. It was an enthralling, end-to-end affair.
The problem was that meant the Blues were not controlling the game in the manner their manager would have wished, and when we were advancing, passes and crosses were going astray.
Kalou enjoyed a better moment on 35 minutes, pulling wide of the defence inside the area and seeing a shot well saved. He was then just too far ahead of Terry's header from a corner to direct it on target.
The Ivorian had to wait just four minutes more to break the deadlock, this time unerring with his first-time finish from six-yards. The creators were Lampard, with a ball inside the full-back, and Ashley Cole with an overlapping run and ball across
1-0 to the good, Chelsea then survived our first trial by corner kick, to much relief after the events at Villa Park, and a Cleber Santana shot that cleared Cech's crossbar before stock could be taken at the break.
The door had been left open at the back on occasions, but Ancelotti's men finished the half clearly the stronger side.
It took five minutes for the second-half to ignite, one crunching foul by Essien on Paulo Assuncao apart.
That was when Anelka picked up a loose ball and unleashed a stinging drive, brilliantly stopped by Spain's Under 20 international keeper.
The same keeper was soon tipping a bouncing ball over the crossbar, giving away the corner from which Chelsea scored.
It was Kalou who made it two, heading Lampard's inswinger down and in. The early miss was now forgotten.
The goal came on 51 minutes and two minutes later, Atlético made a change, Paulo Assuncao having not recovered from the Essien challenge.
If Chelsea were tempted to relax, there was a big warning against it when Ivanovic missed a header and Aguero ran through. Cech stood up and saved well when the Argentine tried to place it between his legs, but in truth, it was a wasteful attempt at a finish.
Chelsea's third, the goal that put Lampard back in the scoring groove, was on 68 minutes and it was a Lamp's trademark effort of ever there was one. Taking possession outside the area, he hit it sweetly and low, into the bottom corner at the Matthew Harding End. Asenjo's positioning could have been better.
Anelka looked to have set up Kalou for the hat-trick soon after but the striker's slide didn't quite make the ball. Next to deny the striker three goals was his manager who subbed him for Malouda on 72 minutes.
Raul Garcia was the game's first booking a minute later for chopping Essien. Many refs would have collected many names by this stage of this game.
The substitutions began to come thick and fast. Zhirkov for Ashley Cole followed by Sturridge for Anelka, booed by the Atletico fans early on for his Real Madrid past. Former Arsenal striker Reyes received similar treatment from the Chelsea crowd when he entered the game.
Cech was given work to do in the closing minutes and substitute Maxi Rodriguez went close after an Aguero run. He then had an attempt saved with two minutes to go.
Belletti was a late booking for the Blues but the final action was at the other end however when Luis Perea diverted a Malouda free-kick over his own keeper with his head.
With Porto beating APOEL, the lead over the third-placed side is eight points.
Chelsea (4-diamond-2): Cech; Belletti, Ivanovic, Terry (c), A Cole (Zhirkov 74); Essien; Ballack; Lampard; Kalou (Malouda 72), Anelka (Sturridge 77).
Scorers Kalou 40, 51, Lampard 68, Perea o.g. 90.
Booked Belletti 85
Atlético (4-4-2): Sergio Asenjo; Ujfalusi, Perea, Alvaro Dominguez, Antonio Lopez (c); Cleber Santana (Maxi Rodriguez 65), Paulo Assuncao (Jurado 53), Raul Garcia, Simao (Reyes 76); Forlan, Aguero.
Booked Raul Garcia 73, Alvaro Dominguez 89.
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