Lampard cuts loose as Bolton blitzed
Lampard and Daniel Sturridge, a popular player when on loan with Bolton last season, each claimed two first-half goals as Chelsea swept aside the struggling hosts with almost embarrassing ease.
Bolton now sit at the foot of the table after defeats in 11 of their last 12 league games — six consecutive this season — and with the worst defensive record in the division. It may still be too early to chatter about the future of manager Owen Coyle but the simple fact remains that his team is in the midst of a quite stunning collapse that needs to be arrested immediately.
As for Chelsea, their free-flowing passing and irrepressible movement off the ball, a case can be made they are currently playing better football than the two Manchester clubs who currently stand between them and the top.
Andre Villas-Boas was clearly impressed with what he witnessed. “I would like to dedicate the victory to my technical staff and my players,” said the Chelsea manager with an air of the dramatic. “We have been chasing this victory for quite some time. We have deserved this for some time but for various reasons it hasn’t been happening but it happened today.
“I don’t think it’s a statement. It is just something that fills us with pride because it is not as though we haven’t been trying to do this before. We have been trying but football is a game full of uncertain things and for various reasons — luck, a lack of efficiency — we weren’t able to find a result like this before.
“Next week two title contenders play each other — Liverpool and Manchester United — then the two Manchester clubs play each other the following week. It is important for us to continue to win and close the gap. We have a difficult game against Everton and a difficult game against QPR but hopefully, if we manage to get six points out of that, it will put us in a better position.”
Only two minutes had gone when a flowing move saw Dedryck Boyata concede a corner, heading Jose Bosingwa’s right-wing cross behind. Juan Mata swung over a centre which found the head of Sturridge, unmarked only six yards from goal, and handed the visitors the lead.
It was the start of relentless attacking play from Chelsea which, brought a second goal soon after with an eye-catching, flowing build-up.
Lampard started the move with a pass to Mata who exchanged a one-two, via a neat backheel, with Ramires. The ball was worked out to Sturridge and, with the Bolton defence once again static, Lampard had the simple task of sweeping in the ball from six yards.
Little, aside from a wayward David Ngog shot and a Martin Petrov curling effort which was well wide of the mark, had gone right for Bolton and only some hurried finishing from Chelsea prevented Coyle’s team from being completely overwhelmed.
Lampard’s shot was saved, at the second attempt, by home goalkeeper Adam Bogdan while Mata, surprisingly, skied over from 12 yards after yet more woeful Bolton defending.
Wanderers were being overrun and the threatened deluge came with two more Chelsea goals in 60 seconds just before the half-hour mark.
First, Sturridge cut in from the right, past the hapless Boyata, and scored from a wide angle, thanks to terrible goalkeeping from Bogdan who helped the shot into the corner of his goal. Soon after the restart, Bolton backed off, allowing defender David Luiz to advance the ball 50 yards and shoot from 25 yards, Bogdan parrying the ball into the path of Lampard who slid in his second and Chelsea’s fourth.
Bogdan saved well from Mata before the interval and the second half at least opened with a moment of Bolton optimism. Petrov’s 46th minute free-kick whistled into the six-yard box and, among a large group of players, Boyata skilfully steered a downward header into the Chelsea goal.
It was the start of a much-improved spell for the home team, one which forced Villas-Boas into changes and, after chances for Didier Drogba and Ramires, Chelsea restored their four-goal cushion after 58 minutes.
It was another superbly worked goal as Lampard exchanged passes with Drogba, who showed excellent control in the area, before playing in Lampard to complete his hat-trick from 12 yards.
“It is good for him because he had a good, solid performance alongside the rest of the team,” said Lampard’s manager. “He arrived with perfect timing as he has been doing these past years. His talent has never been in question, but we spoke before, it is not a question of age, it is a question of competence. This squad is full of competence and the talent has never been in question. We have enough talent to challenge for the Premier League.”
As the game inevitably petered out, Davies thought he had pulled back a goal only to see his shot cleared off the line by Branislav Ivanovic and Chris Eagles unleashed a terrific strike which hit the post and keeper Cech before bouncing to safety. However, true to the preceding 90 minutes, there were also chances which might have brought further goals for Sturridge and Lampard.
“We knew it was an horrendous fixture list in terms of playing five of the teams who will finish in the top six and we have taken nothing from them,” said Coyle. “Now we are going into a group of games we feel we can take points from.”
Chelsea were already in the ascendancy by the time they raced into the lead after all of two minutes but, given the recent respective form of the two teams, it was obvious that there was little or no hope from the moment former Bolton favourite Daniel Sturridge put the visitors ahead.
Anything the Manchester clubs can do... Chelsea’s clinical demolition of the home side was certainly a statement about their intent and ability to keep pace with the two early-season leaders.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea): What a way to celebrate your 350th league game for your club. The Bolton defending, the marking in particular, was woeful but the finishing and passing that led to the Chelsea goals was fantastic and Lampard’s role in that very significant.
Peter Walton. 7. This was hardly a competitive fixture so Walton did not have much to do but what he did was carried out with the minimum of fuss.
It may be lost amid the praise that will be poured upon Chelsea, but Bolton look in genuine trouble of losing their Premier League status.
The international break may not be welcome at Chelsea, given the form they are carrying into it. But they return to action with a very winnable fixture at home to Everton. Bolton’s short trip to Wigan has “relegation six-pointer” stamped all the way through it.
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