Michael Essien grabbed the winner as Chelsea defeated Birmingham to set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home.

Jose Mourinho's men were given a scare when Mikael Forssell opened the scoring and Olivier Kapo levelled before the break, but Essien's second-half strike into the top corner meant Chelsea have gone 64 league games undefeated at Stamford Bridge.

They go one match ahead of Liverpool's efforts at Anfield between 1978 and 1981, although Mourinho insisted before the game that anything less than a win would not be worth celebrating.

Mourinho's record is even more impressive. He has gone 99 home league games without a defeat, his last being a 3-2 reverse while at Porto at the hands of Beira Mar in 2002.

In the end, there was plenty for the Chelsea boss to celebrate. Aside from the record, new signings Claudio Pizarro and Florent Malouda found the net in the first half, either side of Birmingham's goals.

Didier Drogba was also given a run-out, with his appearance off the bench suggesting his recovery from injury is going to plan.

But they were also given a test from a hungry Birmingham side looking to make it an unbeaten opening weekend for the promoted clubs.

Chelsea were given an early warning that setting their record would not be a simple task.

Forssell was given a warm reception from home fans for his efforts at Stamford Bridge before moving to Birmingham, but an early shot held by Petr Cech at the second attempt suggested he was in no mood to be charitable to his former club.

Birmingham's opener came from the Finland striker, although there was barely a celebration against the club that gave him a chance to shine in the Premier League. Gary McSheffrey whipped in a free-kick which Liam Ridgewell, skipper for the day in Damien Johnson's absence, flicked on. There was no time for Forssell to react but his instinctive header wrong-footed Cech.

Shaun Wright-Phillips was at the heart of Chelsea's best attacks before Birmingham's opener, firing wide when Pizarro had weighted a ball through for him.

The England winger and Malouda were given license to cut inside from the flanks, and it was Malouda who set Wright-Phillips racing down the right.