Fernando Torres donated a brace against Schalke to smooth the way for the second victory in group E of the Champions League at outsold Veltins Arena on Tuesday.

Schalke staged a dedicated performance but were unable to put up resistance against Chelsea's clinical counter attacks. It is the first loss for the Germans in the group stage.

The visitors from the Stamford Bridge caught the hosts flatfooted as Fernando Torres broke the deadlock with just five minutes into the match. The Spaniard had all time and space to head home a corner at the back post to stun the "Knappen" on home soil.

The early opener played into Chelsea's hands, as they preferred to stay with ten men behind the ball, to make Schalke's life difficult. For that reason the hosts were unable to find a gap inside Chelsea's defence.

The "Blues" remained dangerous on fast breaks meanwhile Schalke worked out threatening chances before the break through Max Meyer, Roman Neustaedter and Kevin Prince Boateng.

Nevertheless, the goals were scored at the other end of the pitch as the "Blues" went for the 2-0 lead at the 68th minute. Schalke's Meyer caused a turnover to see Torres slotting home for the second time, following Oscar's square pass into the box.

Still, the host pressed forward while Chelsea were not done with the scoring. Hence, another counter attack ensured the final 3-0 score as Eden Hazard finished a solo run into the far post corner, two minutes before the final whistle.

"It is a very annoying loss. The defeat is too high. But, you have to utilize your chances against teams like Chelsea," Schalke coach Jens Keller said.

Chelsea sit atop the standings in group E followed by Schalke, Basel and Bucuresti.