Chelsea maintained their slender lead at the top of the Premier
league after sentencing sorry Sunderland to a 7-2 defeat at
Stamford Bridge.
Carlo Ancelotti's side proved they can prosper without their
quartet of African stars as goals from Nicolas Anelka (two),
Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard (two) and Michael
Ballack set the seal on a fine afternoon for the Blues.
It kept them one point ahead of Manchester United at the
summit of the Premier League with a game in hand on their rivals.
Sunderland managed two consolation goals through substitute
Bolo Zenden and Darren Bent but Steve Bruce's side have now failed
to win in their last eight league games.
Chelsea dominated from the start and Joe Cole could have put
them in front in the first minute.
But the England international failed to beat goalkeeper
Marton Fulop after Malouda's header had put him clear of the
Sunderland defence.
Ashley Cole then headed wide from point-blank range in the
fourth minute when Joe Cole's cross found him at the far post.
But the returning Anelka put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead in
the seventh minute.
The France striker pounced on a clever through-ball from
Ballack, rounded Fulop and placed the ball into the net.
Sunderland's first real attempt on goal arrived in the 13th
minute but Bent's shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily
saved by Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.
Malouda added a second for Chelsea in the 17th minute when he
collected the ball just inside the Sunderland half, shrugged off
two challenges and sent an angled right-foot drive into the bottom
corner of the net from 18 yards.
Sunderland had not won in the league since beating Arsenal in
November and they were not in the same class as the Blues.
The gulf was underlined in the 22nd minute when the league
leaders went 3-0 in front with another simple move.
John Terry's lofted ball from the back found Ashley Cole
sprinting into the penalty area and the England left-back dummied
Lorik Cana before dinking the ball over Fulop.
In the 32nd minute, Anelka got clear of the Sunderland
defence yet again but this time Fulop's knees prevented him from
scoring.
But it mattered little as Chelsea made it 4-0 two minutes
later. Anelka fed Ashley Cole on the left wing and his cross was
volleyed home from six yards by Lampard.
Chelsea were now playing some vintage stuff and moments later
Ashley Cole was only denied a second by Fulop's outstretched hands.
Ballack was inches away from a fifth in the 36th minute when
his curling shot fell just the wrong side of the left-hand upright.
Joe Cole forced Fulop into a diving save in the 43rd minute
with a shot from the edge of the penalty area before Chelsea were
cheered off the field at the interval.
Chelsea made two changes at half-time. Captain Terry was
replaced by Alex while Yury Zhirkov came on in place of Ashley
Cole, who collected a knock scoring his goal.
But Chelsea still dominated and in the 50th minute, Fulop had
to tip a shot from Anelka onto the crossbar and post to prevent the
home side scoring a fifth.
But the goal came in the 52nd minute and it was pure
simplicity for Chelsea.
A cross from Joe Cole on the right flank was headed home from
six yards by the unmarked Ballack.
Sunderland hit back in the 56th minute when substitute Bolo
Zenden fired home from the edge of the penalty area.
But Chelsea's sixth duly arrived in the 64th minute when
Zhirkov's cross was punched straight to Anelka by Fulop and the
Chelsea striker slotted into an empty net from the edge of the
area.
In the 75th minute, Anelka was denied a hat-trick when his
shot from six yards was somehow kept out by Fulop.
Nine minutes later, Joe Cole hit the post with a header after
Juliano Belletti had knocked an Alex free-kick into his path.
But Chelsea made it 7-1 in the 89th minute when Lampard
headed home a cross from Anelka. Moments later Bent scored from
close range for Sunderland before Chris Foy brought proceedings to
a close.
