Slick Chelsea put four past Bolton Wanderers without reply for the second time in four days to confirm their position as Premier League leaders.
The table-toppers from the King's Road kicked off at the Reebok knowing that London rivals Arsenal had closed to within two points of them in second place, but must have been confident of victory today having thrashed Bolton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge in the midweek League Cup clash.
Trotters manager Gary Megson, who was livid with his side's performance in that match, made two changes from the team that had beaten Everton 3-2 in last weekend's Premier League encounter. Chris Basham and Johan Elmander came in for Matthew Taylor and Ricardo Gardner, who both dropped down to the bench.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti also exchanged two players from the starting XI who dismantled Blackburn Rovers 5-0 last Saturday, the Portuguese pair Paulo Ferreira and Deco coming back into the side with Juliano Belletti and Joe Cole the two to stand down. Compared with the two sides' League Cup meeting, there were 13 changes overall.
Bolton appeared to be fired up from the start, and enjoyed an impressive opening five minutes, closing down Chelsea with alacrity as Fabrice Muamba imposed himself in midfield. The Trotters came close to taking an early lead too when Elmander headed the game's first chance over the bar.
But Chelsea began to assert themselves and as they raised the tempo of the game the chances began to flow. Didier Drogba headed wide before Nicolas Anelka forced a save from Jussi Jaaskelainen at his near post. The Bolton keeper then pushed away another Chelsea effort for a corner, and Michael Essien fired left-footed narrowly over the bar from some 16 yards.
Drogba nearly profited when his presence pressured the normally reliable Gary Cahill into an error and the powerful Ivorian striker, in on goal, saw his effort well saved by Jaaskelainen.
The Blues were enjoying space and success down the wings, and when Ferreira sent in a right-footed centre from the left flank, it just eluded Drogba but was curling in via the far post before Jaaskelainen's fingertips deflected it behind - only for referee Peter Walton to award Bolton a goal kick.
Chelsea's pressure was threatening a breakthrough, and the Blues thought they'd got it on the half-hour when Branislav Ivanovic lashed the ball into the net, but the flag was up for offside with one of his Chelsea team mates adjudged to have been blocking Jaaskelainen's view in what seemed a harsh decision.
Then at the other end Bolton striker Kevin Davies, praised this week by Megson for his 'English' virtues, who was causing John Terry plenty of problems with his aerial presence, let fly with a shot that arrowed just wide of Petr Cech's goal.
But on the stroke of half-time, Chelsea got the goal that had looked increasingly likely the longer the game had progressed. It proved to be a double blow for Wanderers as Jlloyd Samuel brought down Drogba in the area as the forward broke through.
Walton showed Samuel a red card and awarded Chelsea a penalty, which Frank Lampard despatched clinically for his sixth goal of the season and fourth in three games. So the Blues went in 1-0 ahead at the break, Walton with jeers ringing in his ears from the Bolton faithful, though the penalty decision looked the right one.
With Bolton down to ten men and a goal behind to Chelsea, their backs were truly against the wall - but they started the second period with gusto, and after Drogba broke away down the right and forced a good save from Jaaskelainen from a narrow angle, Bolton went straight up the other end, with Ricardo Gardner playing in Tamir Cohen whose surging run into the area culminated with a good shot that was well saved by Cech. But the referee had played advantage and when he awarded Bolton the free kick, Cohen hammered it wastefully wide.
Then it was Deco's turn to squander an opportunity as Anelka played in fellow striker Drogba down the left, and Drogba's pull-back to Deco was hit hurriedly wide. Bolton responded with a Ricketts cross that was headed down by Davies towards Cohen, standing unmarked at the far post he was unable to get the better of a difficult bounce.
The impressive Finnish keeper Jaaskelainen kept out two Drogba efforts in rapid succession before Anelka made space for himself in the box to get away a shot that was deflected for a corner from which a cute Essien step-over allowed Lampard to unleash a rocket that crashed off the bar.
However, on 61 minutes an incisive Chelsea breakaway appeared to have finished off the hosts. From a Bolton corner, Ricardo Carvalho released Anelka, who raced forward and found Deco, the Portugal international cutting deftly inside to slot the ball home and double the London side's advantage.
It got worse for Megson's side in the 83rd minute when Chelsea added a third - an own goal from Zat Knight as Ivanovic pressured him from behind.
And for good measure, Chelsea made it 4-0 when Drogba - a handful all afternoon - supplied a composed finish from six yards following Anelka's cute flick.
So Chelsea repeated the dose they'd administered to Bolton in midweek at the Bridge, and in doing so went five points clear at the summit.
