Preparing for Chelsea’s final charge toward the English Premier League title, manager Carlo Ancelotti hopes his team’s confidence has been restored by a 5-0 demolition of Portsmouth.
While it was only against the bottom-place team, Chelsea’s emphatic performance helped to banish memories of a draw at Blackburn in the Premier League and the Champions League elimination at the hands of Inter Milan last week.
With seven matches to go - starting on Saturday against Aston Villa - Chelsea is just a point behind defending champion Manchester United.
Ancelotti says he hopes “that bad period for us is finished,” adding that the result at Portsmouth “will improve our confidence.”