Didier Drogba – Flickr Creative Commons

Didier Drogba has scored his 158th goal for Chelsea, the striker who began his second stint with the club this season, came on for the injured Loic Remy in the first half of Chelsea’s Champions League match against NK Maribor.

The 36-year-old forward left the Blues after he scored the biggest goal in the club’s history against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League Final at the Allianz Arena. Many believed that this goal would be his last for Chelsea, but the Ivorian had other ideas.

After spending time in China and Turkey, Drogba returned to the club where he gained legendary status. Since his return, Drogba has started once and made a few cameo appearances late on in games.

Today he was called upon quite early, Remy had put the Blues ahead with a nice low shot from distance in the 13th minute, but the Frenchman limped off shortly after. Drogba came on as an able replacement, and it wasn’t long before he impacted the game with a much-needed goal.

Brazilian midfielder Willian won a penalty after Ales Mertelj handled the ball in the box, and it was no surprise when Drogba stepped up to take the kick. The forward recreated the magical moment which saw Chelsea lift the big-eared trophy for the first time in their history.

Short run up, shot to the keeper’s right, goal. Maribor’s keeper Jasmin Handovic helped by diving in the same direction that Manuel Neur did on that famous night.

Goal Drogba for Chelsea http://t.co/w6Pemx56es — Football Vines (@FootballVines) October 21, 2014

Drogba’s goal gave the Blues a 2-0 lead, it was all smooth sailing from then on as Chelsea cruised to a 6-0 win. After 11 consecutive matches, Jose Mourinho’s men have yet to lose. They lead their group with seven points, also sitting at the top of the Premier League table with 22 points.

Today Didier Drogba produced his best performance since returning to Chelsea, he looked much sharper than he did in previous games, and his link up play was amazing. With sublime distribution, he played several neat passes to his teammates, and was a threat all game long. The striker isn’t as quick as he used to be, but his strength is still there, he made light work of bringing aerial balls down and holding off defenders.

With both Diego Costa and Loic Remy nursing injuries, Drogba will be called upon to lead the line. Mourinho told reporters that Remy has suffered a groin injury and could be out for a few weeks. Chelsea need a fully fit squad if they are to successfully continue their assault on the Premier League title, but they have the strength in depth to hold out till their big guns return.

Drogba is certainly a great option up front for Mourinho, his experience and leadership will prove vital through this worrisome spell. The Blues couldn’t have asked for a better man to head their attack in the absence of their first choice striker.