Chelsea's season has long since degenerated into a reluctant pursuit of Arsenal though, for a few days at least, they will follow their London rivals' lead more eagerly. Solidity has been restored, a semblance of normality re-established by successive victories. Italian opposition visit the capital on Wednesday boasting a first-leg lead. Should Roberto Di Matteo's team conjure as spirited a return with Napoli as that mustered by Arsène Wenger's charges against Milan last week, then English interest in the Champions League may yet be prolonged.

So scintillating was Arsenal's response to a four-goal deficit, even in falling agonisingly short at the last to depart the competition 3-4 on aggregate, that the dominant team from the first meeting were overrun at the Emirates in the rematch, clinging to the tie amid the battering. Chelsea cannot help but be inspired, and they need only win their match 2-0 to progress. "Absolutely, watching that game last week can have a psychological effect," said Di Matteo. "Arsenal beat Milan 3-0, so we have to believe we can turn it around. The players realise they can win."

That sounded almost revelatory, but they have needed to be reminded of their own qualities. Di Matteo is only a week into a three-month spell as interim first-team coach but, already, his team's strengths are being coaxed out. Stoke City had represented awkward opponents even when they retained a full complement of players on Saturday, but losing Ricardo Fuller, dismissed for a mindless stamp on Branislav Ivanovic, merely steeled them further to frustrate. Their banks of four would not be shifted, the woodwork quivering three times as Chelsea let fly, until one flash of guile from Juan Mata, and a neatly taken 100th Premier League goal from Didier Drogba, eventually shattered the visitors' resistance.

This was not a free-flowing victory. It was an ugly grind, chiselled from an anxious occasion with wounds still raw after André Villas-Boas' abrupt sacking last Sunday. But it ensured that Chelsea, like Arsenal, are now only four points off Tottenham Hotspur in third place and, more significantly, have conviction seeping back into their approach. Di Matteo is playing sports psychologist as much as tactical guru at present, his team attempting to go back to basics – stingy, relentless, suffocating – to rescue their season.

Guus Hiddink once tapped into these players' natural strengths to revive the club after Luiz Felipe Scolari's tenure. It may feel vaguely dispiriting that Chelsea have regressed to 2009 when this was supposed to be the year they moved forward, but the Italian must hope to have the same revitalising effect.

It helps that the old guard appear to share the caretaker's sense of duty. There has been no obvious dissent at the shuffling of the pack under Di Matteo so far, what had felt like omissions now recognised as squad rotation, and focus is now fixed upon securing a place in the top four. Perhaps Villas-Boas' abrupt removal has stripped the dissenters of an easy excuse for under-achievement.

"At all clubs, when players don't play, there are always misunderstandings and people upset about not being played," said John Terry, restored here after knee surgery. "All the players care about Chelsea football club. The owner certainly does. André was very good but, unfortunately, we didn't get the results. We all wish him well, and he's got a very good future. This can be a learning experience for him."

This was by no means a fluent performance, but the team's predicament demands pragmatism these days. There was encouragement to be drawn from the fact that stubborn opposition were eventually prised apart, just as Napoli must be on Wednesday. It should be noted, however, that the Italian side will present considerably more threat on the counter-attack than Stoke ever could after Fuller's rush of blood. The visitors were rugged in defence, but limited in attack. Napoli, with Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi such slippery attacking threats, boast the potential to plunder.

The hope must be that Chelsea are better able now to cope than they were at Stadio San Paolo last month. "I spoke to all the team and they are great players," added Di Matteo. "They just had to get back to winning games and the belief would come back. At this stage of the season we have a job to do. Against Stoke, we did it by fighting, creating a lot of chances, but we did it. Now we look forward."

Man of the match: Juan Mata (Chelsea)