5 Things Chelsea Victory over Nordsjaelland Taught Us

Nordsjaelland was somewhat of an unknown entity before Tuesday night.

In a must-win game for Chelsea, the Blues were expected to steamroll over the side from Denmark. Take one look at the 4-0 score, and you would say that they did exactly that.

However, it was a tougher battle than expected, and we learned a lot about the skill and grit of the Danish champions.

That was not the only thing that we learned, however, and what follows are five things that we can take away from this Champions League group victory.

Chelsea Can Win Without John Terry...for Now

Nordsjaelland may not be the toughest opponent that Chelsea faces this season, especially in the Champions League, but it still matters that the Blues emerged with a clean sheet.

Petr Cech continued his fine run of form, and with Frank Lampard filling in as captain and David Luiz even contributing a goal, you may be forgiven for forgetting all about John Terry.

Luiz and Gary Cahill still have a lot of work to do before they can make the defense as solid as it is with John Terry, but it was a promising sight just before Terry starts his four-game ban.

Lampard Still Has a Part to Play

Frank Lampard received his first start in four games against Nordsjaelland.

This run left many questioning his future with the European Champions.

Many will still expect him to leave at the end of this season, but what we saw tonight was proof that he still has a part to play for this Chelsea side.

If Chelsea expect to be competing on all fronts this season, Roberto Di Matteo will continue to rotate his squad regularly to get the best out of its depth.

What is more, with Terry out, the Blues will be looking for Lampard to take the lead as the captain and senior player on a young side.

Chelsea Can Fight on All Fronts This Season

Just a few days after a crucial win over London rivals Arsenal, Di Matteo put out an altered side to face Nordsjaelland, and it paid off.

With fresh legs and bucket-loads of skill, the side that played in Denmark managed a victory that was just as important as the one at the Emirates.

As Chelsea gets deeper into each competition, the schedule will begin to pick up, and having such depth of squad will be the difference between winning and losing from week to week.

Juan Mata Is Still as Good as Ever

A few games ago it seemed as if Juan Mata would not get much of a look this season.

His two performances against Arsenal and Nordsjaelland and his three goals have done much to change that opinion.

After these two matches, Roberto Di Matteo will have the kind of selection headache that most managers can only dream of.

Chelsea Should Buy Another Striker, but Do Not Need One

Fernando Torres is in great form.

He supplemented a goal against Arsenal on Saturday with another stellar performance up front tonight.

As the season goes on however and the schedule picks up, you have to wonder if he will be able to keep this up. Playing every single game for a full 90 minutes is a hard ask, so Chelsea will undoubtedly be looking for another striker in January.

What we saw tonight though, was that they really do not need one.