NICOLAS ANELKA’S frustrated efforts to secure his first Chelsea goal epitomised an unconvincing, vulnerable performance by Avram Grant’s team. But, with only 11 minutes remaining, substitute Claudio Pizarro’s header from a corner kick – the Peru international’s first goal since he scored in a 3-2 win against Birmingham on the opening day at Stamford Bridge – secured victory for the visitors and Grant was able to walk away smiling about a result that proved beyond Arsenal a week ago at the Emirates.

If Chelsea can maintain their present momentum – this was a fifth victory in six Premier League games – they can surely be a viable threat in the title race when they reintroduce the likes of Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Frank Lampard and John Terry from African Cup of Nations duty and from injury. Petr Cech was more active than his counterpart, Maik Taylor, in goal, and Ricardo Carvalho was susceptible to Cameron Jerome’s pace in an unbalanced defensive partnership with Alex.

But Chelsea managed to hang on as a fortuitous header by Jerome struck the post in the first half, Sebastian Larsson missed a sitter in the second and “a world-class delivery” – Birmingham manager Alex McLeish’s justified description of Juliano Belletti’s corner kick – presented Pizarro with the perfect opportunity.

“Birmingham are a hard team to play, they know how to defend, they make good counter-attacks and we had to be patient. It was very important to win here,” Grant said. “We have momentum now. We have won so many games in the past three months when nobody thought these players could do it.”

Despite Grant’s insistence that his side dominated the majority of the game, there was no real conviction about this Chelsea display. Claude Makelele was superb in his customary role in front of the back four, breaking up Birmingham attacks and setting up Joe Cole and Florent Malouda at the other end, but his level of assurance was lacking elsewhere. Joe Cole’s delivery lacked the precise effectiveness of Belletti’s decisive corner. Taylor was well protected by the central defensive duo of Liam Ridgewell and Rafael Schmitz, and Anelka was reduced to a few speculative shots on goal and one opportunity with which he ought to have done better. He won a corner off Schmitz in the opening minute, did the same again in a challenge with Franck Queudrue and secured another with a shot from the left side of the penalty area which struck Larsson.

An injury to Shaun Wright-Phillips forced Grant to replace him with Pizarro. Malouda’s tame shot from a Makelele cross from the left and an Alex header wide from a Malouda cross from the right typified Chelsea’s impotence.

Ashley Cole had to block a shot by Garry O’Connor on the edge of the penalty area before a corner by Larsson was headed wide by O’Connor. Cech saved another header by Jerome from Larsson’s cross.

Chelsea almost came undone when Cech took a return ball from Alex and half-scuffed a clearance which was met by Jerome’s head on the edge of the penalty area. Fortunately for Cech and Chelsea, the ball hit the right post and bounced wide. Birmingham kept up the pressure and O’Connor’s cross was knocked away by Carvalho but Jerome’s shot required a block by Alex. The corner fell for Fabrice Muamba, whose shot cleared the crossbar.

Anelka had chances in the second half, the first when he beat Damien Johnson but he dragged his shot between Ridgewell’s legs and wide.

Twice his touch let him down when he failed to control the ball from a header down and Olivier Kapo cleared before a clever one-two between Anelka and Malouda on the edge of the area yielded a shot, as Schmitz challenged him, which Taylor saved. Birmingham continued to look dangerous and a header down on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area presented Larsson with an opportunity from 25 yards but he sliced his shot wide. Then the Swede missed a glorious chance when Kapo beat Carvalho and drove in a low ball which eluded Cech and, somehow, Larsson missed from point-blank range.

Cech denied Birmingham debutant James McFadden with a save at his near post before, out of the blue, Chelsea struck gold.

Belletti swung in his corner kick with pace to the near post and Pizarro met it with a solid header past Taylor. “We didn’t do our job of man-marking in the box and we got punished,” reflected McLeish.

Match stats

Star man: Claude Makelele (Chelsea)
Player ratings: Birmingham: Taylor 7, Kelly 6, Schmitz 7, Ridgewell 7, Queudrue 7, Larsson 6, Muamba 6, Johnson 7, Kapo 6, O’Connor 6 (Forssell 72min), Jerome 7 (McFadden 72min)
Chelsea: Cech 7, Belletti 6, Alex 6, Carvalho 6, A Cole 7, Wright-Phillips 5 (Pizarro 29min, 6), Makelele 8, Ballack 6, J Cole 7 (Sidwell 85min), Anelka 5, Malouda 7 (Bridge 90min)
Yellow cards: Birmingham: Muamba
Chelsea: Pizarro
Referee: R Styles
Attendance: 26,567