Chelsea are now top of the table both domestically and in Europe after the goals flow freely for the third game running.

Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Hernán Crespo were on target with three eye-catching strikes while an uneeded gift from the Real Betis goalkeeper gave Ricardo Carvalho a rare place on the scoresheet.

It was pure entertainment. An open game was always on the cards given the natural attacking intentions of Spanish sides and for the first 20 minutes the visitors from Seville gave as good as they got.

But powered by an industrial strength battery by the name of Michael Essien, once Chelsea took the lead, the opposition were chasing shadows for the rest of the game. There will be cold sweat all over Europe when the coaches of the other Champions League teams watch the video of this one.

Given Chelsea’s form leading up to the game, only the odd change or two to the starting line-up was likely but no-one predicted the one announced. Carlo Cudicini was called into goal for his second game of the season.

It was less of a surprise that star turn Joaquin had recovered from his throat infection to line-up for the visitors.

It took just a minute for the first shot in anger – Wright-Phillips blasting low across the face of goal after Cole had found him with a crossfield ball. It followed a neat turn from Cole, his bamboozling footwork a feature of a top class individual performance.

There was first blood to Joaquín in the much-anticipated contest with Del Horno as the Betis winger forced an early corner. Juanito rose to meet the ball as it came across and it took a well-placed Claude Makelele to clear off the line. Betis immediately followed up with two more testing balls into the Chelsea box.

They certainly hadn’t come just to defend. Soon Oliveira twisted away from Carvalho and warmed Cudicini’s gloves.

A looping Essien header from a Del Horno free-kick wasn’t a million miles away and Cole, briefly infield, spun his marker and shot low, the ball bouncing to safety of keeper Doblas.

The rate of attempts on goal was high and on quarter-of-an-hour began a trilogy of Drogba chances, each one going closer until he opened the scoring.

The first effort was low and off-target; the second saw the long-legged striker stretch in front of goal to reach Wright-Phillips’ cross but the ball skimmed off his shin. 

Essien had begun the move with a brilliant ball inside the full-back and he was vital to the first goal on 23 minutes.

Varela struck a blind pass straight at the Ghanaian and he was off, steaming across the damp Stamford Bridge turf like a battle tank. The ball out to Drogba was good and the shot was probably heading in, even before defender Rivas diverted it past his keeper. Drogba is now on eight goals for the season.

Real Betis' period of parity was over. Lampard took an unusually long time to register his first shot and when it came on 32 minutes, it drifted over. His free-kick on the stroke of half-time looked no more threatening as Doblas caught it under the crossbar and many in the crowd must have looked away. Their attention was grabbed again by a huge cheer from those still watching.

Was the reason a greasy ball, a momentarily lapse or just a bad keeper? Those not expert in Spanish football can only guess at the answer but inexplicably, Doblas dropped it and Carvalho, following-up in textbook fashion was on hand to poke in from inches rather than yards for his second goal since moving to west London.

There were three bookings in the first-half, two for Betis and one for Shaun Wright-Phillips who is now one caution away from a European suspension.

One of the Real Betis cautions was for a flying assault on Drogba who had suffered another couple of collisions. He was replaced at the break by Crespo while Xisco came on for Oscar Lopez as the visitors shuffled the pack, the main result Joaquín now patrolling the right flank rather than play support striker.

Within minutes of the restart they were shuffling again. Their midfielder Miguel Angel signalled that his game was over the instant he collapsed to the turf in a failed attempted to halt Essien. He was stretchered off, Assunção the replacement.

It wouldn’t have mattered if they had had Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane and Claudio Gentile all rolled into one, Betis wouldn’t have stopped Essien on this form.

On the rampage once again with 58 minutes gone, he fed Joe Cole who ignored Crespo’s defence-dragging run before planting a perfectly curled shot into the bottom corner. With Makelele and Crespo contributing good work earlier in the move, it was the goal of the game.

Five minutes later Chelsea repeated the four goals record when Barcelona and Bayern Munich came visiting last season. Lampard opened up the game with one of his crossfield specials and Wright-Phillips fabulous cross on the run found the head of Champions League scoring maestro, Hernán Crespo.

Gudjohnsen came on for Wright-Phillips soon after. It could have been for the underemployed Cudicini with little bad effect although the Chelsea keeper perhaps should have faced a penalty when Del Horno appeared to clip the flying Joaquin in the box. The ref’s response was to brandish a yellow card for diving. It was not Real Betis’ night.

There was a Chelsea debut with 15 minutes remaining. France Under 21 international midfielder Lassana Diarra was given his chance in place of his role model, Claude Makelele.

Gallas and Xisco were booked for playing pat-a-cake on each other’s chest as the game drew to a close while Rivera was booked as Essien again won a personal battle.

There were heroes all over the pitch tonight as Chelsea made it 13 goals in the last three games. A win in Spain in a fortnight’s time will guarantee early passage to the knockout stages.