Chelsea boss Roberto di Matteo says he was always confident of victory over Stoke City.

Chelsea looked set for a fourth straight match without a win before Ashley Cole spared the blushes of their £130million attack with his first goal since May 2010.

But Di Matteo said: "I thought it was just a question of time before we scored.

"Obviously, when it comes towards the last 20 minutes, time is running out.

"But when you play against Stoke, it's always so hard to break them down and they defend with so many men and they're very well-drilled as well."

Di Matteo admitted it would take time for Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata to click after handing the £80million trio their first start together.

They failed to get Fernando Torres scoring but Di Matteo said of the £50million man: "He's in a very good mood because he's in a team that's at the top of the league."