Chelsea charge back to summit
First-half goals from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard laid the foundation for victory before a second Lampard effort on the stroke of full-time emphasised the home side’s superiority.
The manner of the win spoke volumes about the qualities of Carlo Ancelotti’s side – in particular Lampard who the coach hailed as world class – and reinforced the view they are ready to end Manchester United’s three-year tenure as champions.
Since Chelsea’s last league appearance –the 7-2 thrashing here of a dismal Sunderland – Ancelotti has been forced to watch as first Arsenal and then United leap-frogged over his side to claim top spot and underline the narrow margins on which this season’s title race will almost certainly be decided.
This victory, against a side who arrived in west London on the back of a 15-game unbeaten run, restored Chelsea’s standing and they now sit one point clear of United, two clear of Arsenal, having played a game less than their main rivals.
Next up is the away trip to Burnley, when Didier Drogba will return to the squad, and then Hull before the February 7 clash with Arsenal.
Before that meeting, though, Arsenal meet United at Emirates Stadium and Ancelotti believes his side’s position could be even stronger by the time the weekend is over.
“We have one more point with a game in hand (on United) and two points more than Arsenal,” he said. “That’s important because, on Sunday, United play Arsenal. Maybe we can improve our position on Saturday.
“We did very well in January. I want to thank my players who did a fantastic job without the African players. We could have had some problems without them but they did a fantastic January.”
Lampard has been one of the keys to that successful January and Ancelotti has no doubt about the midfielder’s value to his side. “He’s using the good movement that we are doing in front,” he added. “We use all the pitch to attack and so he is able to run into the box and can score. He’s the best running midfielder in the world. He has this fantastic quality: to time his run into the box.”
To maintain the pressure on their main rivals, Chelsea had to sustain the impressive home form that had seen them drop just two points in 11 league games coming into this.
On paper at least, the outcome of this game should have been anything but a foregone conclusion yet while Birmingham’s success this season has been built on the foundation of a solid defence, they capitulated tamely the first time Chelsea put together a meaningful attack.
Joe Cole – anxious to impress and press his claims for a new contract – eased his way past left-back Liam Ridgewell and floated a cross towards the head of Florent Malouda who was allowed to head home unchallenged from just six yards out.
Cole was on top of his game, popping up across the frontline demanding the ball and invariably causing problems for City.
There was little chance Birmingham could deny Chelsea further reward before the half-time break and the second goal came just after the half hour through a combination of Lampard’s shooting accuracy and City’s inexplicable failure to close the England midfielder down.
Teed up by Michael Ballack, Lampard had an astonishing amount of time to adjust his sights and drill a 25-yard shot beyond Hart for his ninth league goal of the season.
The pattern continued after the break with Chelsea in total control. Lampard clinched the third goal, collecting Malouda’s pass in the final minute and slipping a left foot shot past Hart.
“I’m not disappointed with the players at all,” said Birmingham manager Alex McLeish. “They deserve tremendous credit for the run they’ve been on, and they have the character to bounce back.”
Chelsea substitutes: Zhirkov 6 (81). Not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Sturridge, Matic, Alex, Borini.
Birmingham substitutes: Fahey 6 (56), Michel 6 (72). Not used: Taylor, McSheffrey, Quedrue, Johnson, Vignal.
Man of the Match: Joe Cole (Chelsea) – Against better opponents, the attacking midfielder’s tendency to overelaborate could prove costly, but against Birmingham, Cole’s range of tricks, flicks combined with his sheer enthusiasm were a joy to watch.
REFEREE: Steve Bennett 7 – Birmingham’s lack of fight made Bennett’s job easy but the match official deserves credit for allowing the game to flow while giving Chelsea’s ball players just the right amount of protection.
MATCH RATING: *** – Ancelotti’s Chelsea are easy on the eye but, just as in their meeting with Sunderland, this game was too one-sided to be a true contest.
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