'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bolton 1 (Boyata) – Chelsea 5 (Sturridge 2, Lampard 3 goals)
Super Frank!
Trending
They said he was finished. He was rested for only one of Chelsea’s premier league games this season, and slipped down the pecking order for England. If you believed everything you read, his career was over. Well today, Frank Lampard became the 5th highest Chelsea goalscorer of all-time with a well taken hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers. Add that to the goal mid-week against Valencia, Frank Lampard is a man on a mission. The not-so-forgotton man is hitting the ball as sweet as ever and on the this form, I’d be happy for AVB to rest him whenever he needs to get repeat performances like this. Apart from the goals, Lampard was back to his best, running rings around the Bolton midfielders. He was always going to end up on the winning side today.
Dan the man, again at the Reebok
As Bolton’s Jaaskelainen wasn’t fit to play, Bogdan was chosen to play in-goal and Chelsea will be hoping he plays a few more times against the Blues as two mistakes led to goals for Sturridge and Lampard in the first half. Chelsea thoroughly dominated the first half and Bolton didn’t have a response against the Blues, with Sturridge a constant menace down the right hand side.
It was no surprise that Chelsea took a 4 goal lead into the break after goals to Sturridge in the 2nd minute, Lampard in the 15th, Sturridge on 25th and again Lampard on the 27th. On this display, it wasn’t hard to realise why Bolton haven’t picked up any points since the opening game of the season. Their defense was a shambles, and even a desperate Gary Cahill couldn’t prevent the goals leaking in. Everytime Chelsea poured forward in the first half, it seemed we would score. How Fernando Torres would have been disappointed that he couldn’t play against the Wanderers! Steinsson in particular was hopeless for the home team, and it was no surprise he was substituted on half-time.
Bogdan bogged down in bad form
In the second half, Chelsea seemed to rest on their laurels and Boyota, on loan from Manchester City, scored from a header off a set piece, yet another Chelsea defensive set piece mix-up. It seems their problems of a few seasons ago of defending set pieces are coming back to haunt them. Once Bolton scored, they enjoyed the lions share of possession for the next ten minutes before Chelsea and Lampard returned the buffer to 4 with a sweeping move across the left flank which resulted in a cut back to Lampard who duly dispatched to knock up his third hat-trick of his professional career. 20 goals a season? On this evidence, the ChelseaChiefs.com say why not!
Three and easy
The match came to an end but not before Ivanovic made a stunning goal line clearance, which replays showed was clearly over the line, and Chris Eagles hit the post. Sturridge could have and should have got his hat-trick, though he can be forgiven for letting off the Trotters whose performance clearly concerned on looking Bolton chairmen Phil Gartside. Owen Coyle, worryingly for a good manager, might be looking over his shoulder this week.
Time’s up?
Match highlights:
