Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League after two goals from Nicolas Anelka at Blackburn on Sunday.
The Frenchman made it six goals in three league games with one in either half at Ewood Park as the Blues earned a deserved three points in the north-west.
Frank Lampard, Deco and John Mikel Obi all went close as well, but found Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson in inspired form.
He was unlucky to be beaten by Anelka's deflection for the first, but was helpless to deny the classy second, created by Lampard's genius.
Chelsea returned from Italy with one enforced change, Joe Cole missing with a hamstring problem replaced by Salomon Kalou on the right flank.
Otherwise it was the same side beaten by Roma in midweek, with improvement being the order of the day after John Terry's harsh words in the lead-up to this game.
Travelling to Blackburn on a wet and windy Lancashire afternoon ensured the Blues wouldn't be having things all our own way though, the opposition being renowned for their physical style of play.
Rovers manager Paul Ince made three changes from the side that drew at West Brom last week, Zurab Khizanishvili preferred to Christopher Samba, while suspensions to Benni McCarthy and Brett Emerton made room for Morten Gamst Pedersen and Carlos Villanueva to start.
It didn't take long for a talking point to arise, just four minutes had passed when a weak Blackburn backpass fell into Nicolas Anelka's path, and the forward rounded home goalkeeper Paul Robinson before going to ground.
Replays showed contact by the former Spurs man, and Chelsea could feel hard done by as Rovers cleared.
Anelka, bemused by referee Chris Foy's decision, quickly got on with the game and forced Robinson into a smart save moments later, flicking on Frank Lampard's free-kick that Robinson was forced to tip over.
Twelve minutes in and Robinson repeated the trick, this time saving low with his legs as the unmarked Anelka headed José Bosingwa's down.
He would have been powerless to prevent John Terry's header from the resultant corner going in, but the captain's connection was marginally too strong, and the ball went high.
Then Malouda swung in a free-kick from the right and John Mikel Obi rose highest at the far post. Once again, Robinson saved with his legs. It looked like it might be one of those days when everything thrown forward would be rebuffed.
Despite this return of no goals from plenty of opportunities, it was a bright start from Chelsea, a yard quicker all over than Blackburn. The slick passing style we have become accustomed too was beginning to become compromised by the torrential rain causing puddles underfoot and the ball to slow.
Lampard decided to test Robinson's judgment with a long shot, bouncing just in front of the keeper. Again it was pushed away well and behind.
Blackburn created their first chance at the other end, and Petr Cech had to pull off a superb stop to push Carlos Villanueva's effort around the post. 23 minutes in and the score could easily have been 4-1 to Chelsea.
There then followed a period of quiet as both sides struggled on the worsening pitch, interrupted by another piece of brilliance from Robinson.
Anelka fashioned space and time inside the box and placed his shot low to the keeper's left, yet before he could celebrate Robinson somehow clawed the ball around the post and behind.
Finally on 38 minutes the home side's luck ran out.
With Blackburn sitting off, Bosingwa was invited forward through the middle and decided to shoot from some 40 yards.
The effort looped up, and heading wide, seemed to catch Anelka unaware, striking his body and completely wrong-footing Robinson, who was left helpless as the ball bobbled over the line. It was unquestionably fortunate, but nobody could deny the Blues deserved to lead.
That was it before half-time, and both sides will have been pleased to see the rain subside before any thoughts of abandonment became a possibility.
Ince replaced Vince Grella with Aaron Mokoena just before the break and then Matt Derbyshire came on for Keith Andrews before the restart. Luiz Felipe Scolari, on his 60th birthday, left Chelsea unchanged.
The quieter of the two goalkeepers in the first half, it didn't take long for Cech to be called into action in the second, first to rush out and claim a loose ball and then to save one-on-one from Jason Roberts, the forward having turned Alex to find space.
Blackburn were pressing forward with greater regularity. Villanueva fired over and Cech again had to claim from Roberts, and so Scolari introduced Juliano Belletti with 29 minutes remaining. Salomon Kalou made way.
The change worked, and within six minutes the lead was doubled. Malouda went inside and eventually found Lampard, whose clever pass picked out Anelka with a clear route to goal.
This time he knew just what he was doing, and dinked the ball delicately over the advancing Robinson. It had come almost from nowhere, and Blackburn were shocked and looking at a fifth straight home defeat to Chelsea.
Anelka was looking at the possibility of successive domestic hat-tricks, but it was his team-mates lining up to shoot with 10 minutes remaining. Lampard, Terry and Deco all tried, and Lampard hit the bar with a free-kick, which may have got a touch from Robinson to help it over.
His chance arrived two minutes from time as Lampard latched on to a free ball and slipped it through. Anelka's touch was perhaps a little too far in front and allowed Robinson to sufficiently narrow the angle and save.
Three points, if not three goals were assured though, and that made it nine consecutive away league wins, equalling our own Premier League record
By Andy Jones
Blackburn (4-5-1): Robinson; Simpson, Khizanishvili, Nelsen (C), Olsson; Villanueva, Grella (Mokoena 44), Andrews (Derbyshire h-t), Warnock, Gamst Pedersen; Roberts (Fowler 77).
Goals
Booked Warnock 62, Simpson 80
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry (C), Bridge; Mikel; Kalou (Belletti 61), Deco, Lampard, Malouda; Anelka.
Goals Anelka 38, 67
Booked Malouda 85
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