Stoke City 0 - 0 Chelsea: Villas-Boas draws a blank on debut

New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas' introduction to the Barclays Premier League proved to be a testing and frustrating affair as his side were held to a goalless draw by Tony Pullis' Stoke.

Having withstood pressure in the first half Chelsea dominated after the break but the closest they came was when goalkeeper Asmir Begovic tipped Nicolas Anelka's shot onto the crossbar.

A Rory Delap throw and a couple of Jermaine Pennant corners caused some early consternation in Petr Cech's penalty area and set-pieces continued to cause problems throughout.

Late in the first half Jose Bosingwa and Cech managed to keep out Matt Etherington's inswinging free-kick under the crossbar at the near post after John Terry had stopped Kenwyne Jones in his tracks.

After the break Jonathan Woodgate, making his Premier League debut having left Tottenham in the summer, was a key figure in keeping Chelsea at bay.First his slide diverted Frank Lampard's shot behind and then he blocked Fernado Torres six yards out as he swivelled to shoot from Terry's header.

After the match Terry said he thought Stoke were happy to settle for a draw. "They had made their intentions clear from the opening minutes," he added.

Torres agreed with Terry and said: "It is not easy to play against Stoke and this is only the first game of many we have to play and we have to start thinking about the next one. We are happy with the performance but not the result. We are disappointed with the result. We had some chances to score and two very clear penalty situations, but we had enough chances so it is no excuse."

The former Liverpool frontman also stressed he was keen to move on from last season's disappointment, which saw him score only one goal after his move from Anfield in January. "I am only 27 and I haven't forgotten how to play and score," he said.

The result secured only Stoke's second point in seven league meetings.

Stoke: Begovic, Huth, Shawcross, Woodgate, Whelan, Wilson, Pennant, Delap (Pugh 71), Etherington (Whitehead 62), Jones (Shotton 86), Walters. Subs not used: Sorensen, Collins, Wilkinson, Diao.

Chelsea: Cech, A Cole, Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, Ramires, Lampard, Mikel, Malouda (Anelka 65), Torres (Benayoun 89), Kalou (Drogba 75). Subs not used: Hilario, Ivanovic, Ferreira, McEachran.