The absence through injury of Didier Drogba for much of the campaign has placed extra responsibility on Anelka to deliver goals.

And he has risen to the challenge in superb fashion with his double in Saturday's 3-0 win at West Brom taking his tally to eight in the last four Premier League games.

The former Arsenal and Liverpool player has scored 13 in total this season and helped the Blues equal Tottenham's 48-year-old record of 10 successive away wins in the top flight.

Terry said: "We soaked up a lot of pressure from West Brom early on and hit them on the counter-attack with three great goals. Anelka has been on fire and some of his link-up play, as well as his goals, has been brilliant.

"He has been, and is, the saviour for us at the moment with Didier having been out and only just coming back after injury.

"For me, Anelka is in the best form of his career. When we signed him I said 'Thank God you are here' because I used to hate playing against him.

"He was always a problem, always playing on my shoulder, and a great finisher as well. He is in great form and getting the goals as well. He is top scorer in the Premier League and long may it continue."

Terry added: "He relishes playing down the middle. He relishes the likes of Flo (Florent Malouda) and Coley (Joe Cole) and Solomon Kalou on either side of him.

"It gives him the chance to play in between the two centre-halves and on the shoulders of them because the two opposition full-backs are getting stretched all the time by the wide men."

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is adamant Anelka can play in the same side as Drogba although the latter could face a Football Association ban over the coin-throwing incident in the Carling Cup loss to Burnley in midweek.

He said: "It is fantastic for me when I have all the players to pick from, more choice, because many times I have 14, 15, 16 players.

"When I have Drogba, Anelka, Di Santo, and maybe one more player in the future, it is very good for me. When I only have one, it is difficult.

"But Drogba and Anelka can play in the same team, when they have time to play together in training and when they are both in good condition."

Scolari also feels the other Chelsea players have greater confidence in Anelka's finishing ability and consequently are trying to create even more chances.

He said: "When you receive the ball one or two times and you do not score, when you receive it 10 times and you do not score, then the players in the team do not have the same confidence in you.

"But, when you receive one or two balls and score one goal, then the next game you score another goal, all the players will try to give more chances to Anelka so he can score more goals.

"They are building for Anelka more opportunities than before and, maybe in this system we play, it is better for Anelka."

West Brom midfielder Robert Koren admitted Tony Mowbray's side now face a crucial spell in their bid to stay in the top flight with three of their next four games against Stoke, Wigan and Sunderland.

He said: "It is important that we stick together and we need to get some points in the next couple of games. We need to prepare ourselves really well for the next game and hopefully we will get some points soon.

"The last two games against Liverpool away and Chelsea home were really difficult and it is hard to expect that you will get points.

"The league starts for us now because now we will meet some teams that we can beat.

"But we need to prepare well, be 100% in training and then try to play good football, create more chances, score goals and win some games."