Chelsea got their Champions League challenge back on course with a 5-0 demolition job on Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink stabbed home a Gianfranco Zola cross to fire the Blues into a 37th-minute lead and John Terry headed a second from a Graeme Le Saux corner three minutes before the break.

There was no way back for City in the 59th minute when a Terry flick-on from Hasselbaink's corner gave Stanic a tap-in.

And the Blues piled on the agony with further goals from Frank Lampard (69) and William Gallas (79).

City's misery was complete when substitute Sun Jihai was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card at the death.

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri had opted to play three up front with Zola operating behind Eidur Gudjohnsen and Hasselbaink and Marcel Desailly was given more time to recover from a hip injury.

City were boosted by Sylvain Distin's recovery from a flu bug especially as former England defender Steve Howey had been left at home having refused to travel merely as a substitute.

Chelsea won a corner with their first attack and from Hasselbaink's flag kick on the left, Stanic was up highest at the far side of the area only to put his downward header wide of a post.

Peter Schmeichel soon had to grab another teasing cross from the same flank, this time fashioned by Gudjohnsen.

It took 10 minutes for City to threaten and Ali Benarbia, despite being fouled, did well to force a corner on the right from which Foe put in a firm downward header which was blocked almost at source.

Zola invited Lampard to try a low drive from 25 yards which thudded into Schmeichel's arms on the 17-minute mark.

Schmeichel had to be at his sharpest to prevent Gudjohnsen twice in a minute galloping clear onto long clearances before Gudjohnsen collected a scuffed shot from Hasselbaink and turned inside Gerard Wiekens and Kevin Horlock before hitting a waist-high blast which Schmeichel blocked.

On 33 minutes Anelka hit a lofted diagonal ball from right to left and Fowler volleyed wide.

The escape roused Chelsea again and Schmeichel had to claw away Stanic's corner under a hail of flying bodies in the six yard box.

But the breakthrough was not far away. In the 37th minute Zola crossed from the left and Hasselbaink was far quicker to react than Distin at the far post, the big Dutchman poking the ball home via Schmeichel's stretching arms.

Schmeichel turned a Zola drive round the post and from the resultant flag kick by Le Saux in the 42nd minute skipper John Terry was allowed to net a straightforward close-range header as the City defenders stood off.

The ineffective Fowler was substituted at half time by Shaun Goater and within three minutes of the restart City should have clawed a goal back.

Anelka stooped to nod a low ball into the path of full back Niclas Jensen who had arrived deep in the Chelsea area, but he jabbed the ball hopelessly wide of the far post with Cudicini's goal at his mercy.

Chelsea had to survive another escape when Cudicini finally grabbed the ball in a hectic goalmouth scramble after Goater became involved.

In the 59th minute, though, City looked dead and buried by another piece of magical Terry head-work which handed Stanic the third Chelsea goal on a plate.

The move could not have been simpler. A corner by Hasselbaink on the left, Terry's clever flick as he raced across the face of goal and Croatian Stanic was left all alone to slot home from short range.

No wonder Chelsea could afford to take off Hasselbaink and Le Saux soon afterwards, sending on Carlton Cole and Boudewijn Zenden instead. And on 65 minutes even the mercurial Zola was removed to bring on Quique de Lucas.

City's frustration was reflected in a yellow card for Kevin Horlock's pointless foul on Stanic.

City were undone again in the 69th minute when Cole and Frank Lampard zipped through in a lightning exchange and Lampard touched the fourth goal past the helpless Schmeichel.

And 10 minutes later Gallas sidefooted home a Lampard cross from six yards.

The final straw for City was Sun Jihai's dismissal for a second bookable offence.

Teams

Chelsea Cudicini, Stanic, Melchiot, Terry, Gallas, Le Saux (Zenden 55), Lampard, Morris, Zola (De Lucas 65), Hasselbaink (Cole 62), Gudjohnsen.

Subs Not Used: de Goey, Desailly.

Booked: Terry.

Goals: Hasselbaink 37, Terry 43, Stanic 58, Lampard 69, Gallas 79.

Man City Schmeichel, Wright-Phillips (Jihai 63), Wiekens, Distin, Sommeil, Jensen, Horlock (Belmadi 57), Foe, Benarbia, Fowler (Goater 45), Anelka.

Subs Not Used: Nash, Dunne.

Sent Off: Jihai (90).

Booked: Benarbia, Jihai.

Att: 41,105

Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).