Marcel Desailly has been pleasantly surprised with Chelsea since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as manager.

The former skipper believes that Ancelotti has galvanised the team's spirit.

"It was very important for them to start well, because footballers need confidence," he told Sky Sports News.

"When you get the confidence then you can go very high. But when you don't have it you feel like you are struggling a little bit.

"They started well. The manager is respected by his players, and Chelsea have not spent too much money buying players all around the world. They have consolidated the ones they already had.

"It looks like the ones who were there have got an extra spirit to bring into the team. You can see it, you can feel it. From there Chelsea have that power that maybe other teams don't have."

Desailly added: "Even if Liverpool did not play at the level we were expecting [on Sunday], Chelsea showed a great ability. Drogba gave the balls to [Nicolas] Anelka,  and now it's coming from everywhere, a bit unpredictable - positively. It makes the difference.

"You can see that the club is at peace before the event and during the game. [They have] a stable coach, an experienced coach. From there they manage to develop their own game."