Chelsea showed they can perform even without their talismanic manager Jose Mourinho as Bayern Munich were defeated 4-2 in the Champions League quarterfinal, first leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Mourinho, who is serving a two-match touchline ban handed down by UEFA for accusing referee Anders Frisk of improper conduct in the last round against Barcelona, will only be disappointed by the fact that four-time European champions Bayern grabbed a lifeline for the second leg with an injury-time penalty.
England midfielder Joe Cole's deflected shot got Chelsea off to flying start with a deflected strike four minutes in.
Bayern substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger equalized on 52 minutes before Frank Lampard hit a left-footed double.
The England midfielder scored from the top of the penalty box seven minutes later before firing in a skilful shot on the turn in the 69th minute.
Didier Drogba thought he had sealed affairs in the 80th minute, stabbing the ball in after a goalmouth scramble.
But an injury-time Michael Ballack penalty gave Bayern hope for the second leg in Germany on Tuesday.
With Chelsea assistant boss Steve Clarke directing operations from the touchline, Ivory Coast striker Drogba came in for the suspended Mateja Kezman while Ricardo Carvalho replaced Bayern transfer target Robert Huth at center-half.
Peru striker Claudio Pizzaro and Netherlands hitman Roy Makaay were both out injured, forcing Bayern boss Felix Magath to start with Jose Paolo Guerrero and Hasan Salihamidzic in attack.
Mourinho claimed beforehand that he would not even be at the stadium but he would barely have settled in his seat before man-of-the-moment Cole gave him the dream start.
John Terry launched a long ball upfield for Drogba but though his marker Robert Kovac won the challenge, the Croat's weak header dropped for Damien Duff.
The Republic of Ireland winger played in Cole, whose shot from outside the penalty box took a big deflection off Lucio's heel, leaving goalkeeper Oliver Kahn stranded.
Bayern were rattled but England midfielder Owen Hargreaves soon led their resurgence with a menacing run and a free kick that forced Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech into his first save.
The visitors should have levelled in the 30th minute courtesy of a woeful Glen Johnson error.
The right-back slipped as he attempted to clear a cross, his lame header falling straight to Ze Roberto. However, the Brazil midfielder's shot flashed across the face of goal.
Lampard seved Kahn notice in the 34th minute with a curling blast after a corner that just bent away from the Germany stopper's goal.
Chelsea almost started the second half in the same fashion as the first, but Duff's shot was cleared off the line by Willy Sagnol after Kahn deflected the shot.
It was Bayern who struck early this time thanks to Schweinsteiger, on for Salihamidzic for the second half.
France defender William Gallas was booked for hacking down Schweinsteiger on the edge of the box and the substitute soon punished the error personally.
Ballack's free kick rebounded off the wall and Cech could only parry Ze Roberto's follow-up into the substitute's path for a simple cross-shot.
The stalemate lasted just nine minutes before Lampard restored Chelsea's lead.
Joe Cole launched a long pass for Drogba, whose header found Lampard on the edge of the box and the England midfielder lashed in a left-foot strike.
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