Reports of Frank Lampard’s demise in a Chelsea shirt look to be great exaggeratedly as the experienced midfielder claimed a hat-trick during the Blues comfortable 5-1 victory over bottom side Bolton Wanderers.
Chelsea winger Daniel Sturridge also claimed a double on his return to the Reebok Stadium as the Stamford Bridge side made their way into third place in the league table.
Within the first minute the home side found itself a goal down, as Sturridge, who had spent the second half of last season on-loan at Bolton, got away from his marker and powered his header past the helpless Adam Bogdan and into the net.
Sturridge then had a chance to put his side two goals ahead only a couple of minutes later, as the forward got the ball in the middle of the park before striding forward and unleashing a shot that went just by Bogdan’s left post.
Just before the quarter of an hour mark the Blues doubled their lead after a well worked passing move led to the ball finding Sturridge on the right side of the Bolton area. The young forward found the on-rushing Lampard, who coolly put the ball beyond Bogdan to add to the home side’s woes.
The experienced midfielder could have grabbed his second of the day only a minute later as Didier Drogba found Lampard on the left side of the Bolton penalty box, but Bogdan finally clung onto the ball at the second attempt.
Bolton finally had its first chance of the first half midway through, as Martin Petrov drilled a corner from the left, which Lampard got his head on to clear before David N’Gog could get onto the ball to get the home side back in the game.
The visiting side got a third goal as Sturridge once again got on the ball on the right wing, before going by Dedryck Boyata and drilling a shot at the Bolton goal. It looked like Bogdan would comfortably save the ball, but it squirmed out of the Hungarian international’s arms and into the net.
The game went from bad to worse for Owen Coyle’s side as the team parted like the red sea in midfield, allowing David Luiz to stride forward, before unleashing a drive which Bogdan once again failed to deal with, palming the ball straight into the path of Lampard, who placed the it home for Chelsea’s fourth of the game.
After that goal the atmosphere inside the Reebok Stadium turned into that of a library, apart for the traveling band of Chelsea supporters behind Petr Cech’s goal who were in extremely buoyant mood watching their side take full control of the game.
With many of the home support having decided to leave the ground during the half time break with Chelsea holding a four-goal lead, they missed their side get a goal back after only a minute of the half. Petrov floated a free kick from the left wing into the middle of the Chelsea penalty area, allowing Boyata to score from close in.
Just before the hour mark Lampard claimed his hat-trick, after a long ball from Ashley Cole found Drogba, the striker then in turn played a series of passes with his midfield colleague, before the England international slotted the ball home.
That goal didn’t stop the home side from going forward in search of a goal to get some way back into the game, with the industrious N’Gog being brought down on the edge of the area by Luiz. Unfortunately for Bolton, Petrov’s free kick was deflected away from goal and eventually ended with a goal kick after a misplaced shot by N’Gog.
With 10 minutes left Bolton looked to have pulled another back. Petrov raced down the right wing to claim the ball, and then cut it back into the path of Kevin Davies, who smashed it towards the goal, but Ivanovic was on the line to clear.
Sturridge had the opportunity to join Lampard with a hat-trick as he received the ball inside the box after a superb cutback from Drogba, but the former Bolton loanee couldn't find a way past Bogdan to claim the treble.
The ball then raced to the other end as Tuncay found fellow substitute Chris Eagles in space and as the former Burnley winger turned inside, he unleashed a strike that Cech had to stretch his full body in order to palm onto the post to maintain the four-goal advantage.
And with the home fans streaming out in droves, Chelsea started to relax even more, claiming a comfortable victory and closing the gap on the two Manchester sides at the top of the Premier League table.
Lampard celebrates a hat-trick against Bolton
