aston villa 7-1

Sunday Times
Frank Lampard to the fore as Chelsea net seven
Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1

WHO would have thought it? Chelsea putting five past doomed Portsmouth is one thing. Trumping that against an Aston Villa side whose rise has been based on a defence that, before yesterday’s black comedy, was the joint-meanest in the division, is another thing entirely. However the dice come to rest in May, Chelsea’s second-half showing was a performance of champions.
Of course Villa — who had not conceded seven since they went to Old Trafford in 1964 — were abject, but if they could take any consolation, their worst Premier League defeat could have been worse still had their hosts turned up for the first half. Although the symmetry would hardly concern Villa, this was also Chelsea’s biggest win in the Premier League, surpassing their 6-0 drubbing of Manchester City in 2007.
Once the teams changed ends the hosts were unplayable. Frank Lampard, who last scored four against Derby County in 2008, did it again, but this was no one-man show. Florent Malouda, Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka and Yury Zhirkov asked more questions than Jeremy Paxman at his grumpiest. Sorry Villa had fewer answers than a politician at his most pilloried.
“We were first-class,” purred Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins, whose team travel to Old Trafford on Saturday in buoyant mood. “We go there with the utmost confidence. We’re defending well and we’re attacking with pace and power. This was good for our goal difference, but this title race will go down to the wire.”
Aston Villa had headed for the bright lights undefeated in the Premier League in 2010, but rather than the six points they might have expected from last week’s visits of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland, they arrived with fourth place slipping through their fingers, Emile Heskey on the treatment table and, somewhat prophetically, the away ticket allocation far from sold out.
“Fourth place?” asked dejected visiting manager Martin ONeill afterwards. “On the basis of that performance we wouldn’t finish 44th. That’s as devastating an afternoon as I’ve ever had in the game. We were well beaten — hammered even — by a fine side, but we capitulated and we didn’t compete: that’s not good enough.”
It had seemed as though Chelsea had troubles of their own. Didier Drogba was on the bench after bruising his knee at Portsmouth; Paulo Ferreira’s ankle-induced absence hardly suggested that Chelsea’s rickety defence would be less porous and an ignominious Champions League exit was far from well-received at Roman Abramovich’s dacha.
Even so, and even though Chelsea looked as wary as Villa looked fatigued, the hosts swept ahead in the 15th minute with the sort of goal from which titles are hewn. Anelka, thriving on the responsibility Drogba’s absence gave him, strayed from his central role to feed Malouda. Chelsea’s revelation of the season crossed low beyond a series of outstretched toes until, lurking with intent behind Stephen Warnock, Lampard stretched longer than the rest and turned the ball past Brad Friedel.
For a moment, Villa found reserves of strength from within. Ashley Young crossed low, the otherwise excellent Zhirkov unaccountably let it go beyond him and, at the back post, that shark-eyed assassin John Carew walloped it past Petr Cech from five yards.
Like tortoises chary of sudden sunlight, Villa were sent scurrying back to their shell by the shock of parity. Chelsea prodded and probed until Malouda jinked on the edge of the penalty area and sent Zhirkov through. James Collins’ challenge took a combination of man and ball, but there were little in the way of Villa protests when referee Peter Walton awarded a penalty which Lampard smashed beyond Friedel.
O’Neill argued, not unreasonably, that his team were still in the game at half-time. After the break, Villa juggled their formation and hunted for goals. Alas for them, the hunters became the hunted and as the effervescent Cole began to suggest his summer may yet be spent closer to Soweto than Surrey, Chelsea turned the screw. The first of three goals in 10 minutes came when Deco picked out Zhirkov with the ball of the match. Zhirkov’s cross was adequate but Villa’s bedraggled defence left Malouda unmarked inside the penalty area and nature took its course.
Having kicked off level on strikes with Manchester United and seven ahead of Arsenal, Chelsea sniffed the prey of boosted goal difference and, yet again, Zhirkov found his way into the Villa penalty area. Richard Dunne’s challenge was as lazy as it was crude and Lampard’s penalty gave him his 150th Chelsea career goal.
Before Villa could pause for thought or breath, they had conceded five. For once, it stemmed from Chelsea’s right when Ferreira’s cross was deftly helped on by Lampard and Malouda gleefully polished off Chelsea’s 10th goal in two games. The eager Nathan Delfouneso added some vim for Villa but as the rain fell, Salomon Kalou scored a simple sixth after fine foraging from Anelka. Added time meant only time to add both insult and injury and when Lampard gleefully steered home his fourth Chelsea had scored seven for the second time this season.
“World class,” noted Wilkins of the midfielder who is now Chelsea‘s third highest scorer of all-time. “Take away his goals and this was still some performance. His work ethic is astonishing, he gets back as well as he gets forward and he trains as hard as he plays.”
“Boring, boring Chelsea,” chanted the Shed mischievously, and chanted louder still when the news of Kevin Phillips’ equaliser at St Andrew’s filtered through.

Chelsea: Cech 6, Ferreira 6, Alex 6, Terry 6, Zhirkov 7 (van Aanholt 76min), Deco 6 (Ballack 73min), Mikel 6, J Cole 7 (Kalou 76min), Lampard 9, Malouda 8, Anelka 7 Aston Villa: Friedel 6, L Young 5, Collins 5, Dunne 5, Warnock 5, Agbonlahor 5 (Beye 73min), Sidwell 5, Milner 5, Petrov 5 (Downing 62min), A Young 6, Carew (Delfouneso 62min)
Star man: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Yellow cards: Chelsea: Ferreira, Zhirkov, Deco Villa: Dunne, Petrov
Referee: P Walton Attendance: 41,825
BIGGEST PREMIER LEAGUE WINS
4 Mar 1995 Manchester United 9 Ipswich Town 0 22 Nov 2009 Tottenham Hotspur 9 Wigan Athletic 1 19 Sept 1999 Newcastle United 8 Sheffield Wednesday 0 11 May 2008 Middlesbrough 8 Manchester City 1 6 Feb 1999 Nottingham Forest 1 Manchester United 8 14 Jan 2006 Arsenal 7 Middlesbrough 0 11 May 2005 Arsenal 7 Everton 0 25 Oct 1997 Manchester United 7 Barnsley 0 18 Nov 1995 Blackburn Rovers 7 Nottingham Forest 0 27 Mar 2010 Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1* *10 other Premier League fixtures have finished 7-1

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Observer:
Frank Lampard plunders four as Chelsea humiliate Aston Villa
Chelsea 7 Lampard 15, Lampard (pen) 44, Malouda 57, Lampard (pen) 62, Malouda 68, Kalou 83, Lampard 90 Aston Villa 1 Carew 29
Amy Lawrence at Stamford Bridge

So rapidly do football's fortunes deal their cards, Carlo Ancelotti cannot afford to be over-confident. But the more football they have played since the crushing week in which Chelsea slipped out of the Champions League and dropped points at Blackburn, the more that looks like an aberration they are well and truly over. Twelve goals in their last two games puts paid to the notion that a European exit might dent their appetite for the domestic challenge.
Given Carlo Ancelotti's belief that a powerful finish can make for a "fantastic season", it could have been a blow to Chelsea that Didier Drogba, so influential he had contributed 10 league goals in eight games since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, was omitted from the starting line up to rest his knee. Not so. In this goalfest Frank Lampard plundered four and Florent Malouda was a constant source of torment. The Frenchman conjured two artistic finishes. He has never before scored so often in a single season during his entire career. Confidence is glowing.
It was a momentous afternoon for Lampard, who ended up with a stack of milestones to go with the match ball. In a single game he managed to mark his 100th Premier League goal for Chelsea and 150th in all competitions since crossing London for Stamford Bridge. Perhaps the most staggering of all is the statistic that confirms he has reached 20 goals for the sixth consecutive season from midfield. "Frank is world class and he is invaluable to us," said assistant manager Ray Wilkins.
Chelsea were able to rely on him to open the scoring early. When the effervescent Malouda drove in a cross-shot from the left which evaded a clutch of players, Steven Warnock was deceived by the pace of the ball. It was easy pickings for a man with Lampard's instinct for goal. Just before the half hour, Chelsea invited Villa to equalise with a move that echoed their opener. Ashley Young was given ample time and space to eliminate three opponents from the scene. His curled cross confused Yuri Zhirkov, who appeared to barely notice as John Carew stole in behind him to finish from close range. It was the Norwegian's ninth strike in eight games. Unfortunately for Villa, that was the high point of another troublesome afternoon regarding their fading Champions League ambitions.
Not only did Brad Friedel have to pick the ball out of the net seven times, his distribution was also appalling, constantly putting Villa on the back foot as he booted it long to cede possession. Martin O'Neill was brutal afterwards about the dwindling possibility of finishing fourth, remarking, "On that performance we wouldn't finish 44th." He was visibly shocked by what he witnessed.
Two minutes before half-time Malouda made another teasing impact, with a beautifully crafted back heel to send Zhirkov into the penalty area. James Collins was a fraction late with his challenge and appeared to catch the Russian's toe. Referee Peter Walton pointed to the spot. Although Friedel stretched a hand to it, Lampard's effort was too firmly struck to be denied.
Trailing by a slender enough margin at half time, there was no reason for Villa to assume they would be so horribly overrun after the break. O'Neill did reorganise at half-time, pushing Agbonlahor up to partner Carew and switching Milner into the heart of midfield. It didn't make a big difference as Chelsea looked increasingly comfortable and eased further in front courtesy of a fine team goal in the 55th minute. Joe Cole and Deco combined to work the ball to Zhirkov, whose cross was dispatched brilliantly via Malouda's volley.
Chelsea turned the screw on the hour when the galavanting Zhirkov was upended en route to another dash into the penalty area. Same scenario, same outcome. Lampard hovered over the spot kick and nervelessly collected his hat-trick.
O'Neill was distraught with the way his team caved in. "We didn't compete," he lamented. "I didn't see it coming at half time. At 3-1 we capitulated and that isn't like us. We were well and truly hammered. It's as devastating as I've known in the game. I have been a player and manager some considerable time but that was as tough a lesson as any."
The Chelsea goals came thick and fast. Lampard was unselfish when, with target practice surely tempting, he rolled a pass for Malouda, whose finish bent deliciously over Friedel. Substitute Salomon Kalou angled in the sixth after an assist from Nicolas Anelka. The seventh fell to Lampard's boot, a late arrival and crisp finish. Should it boil down to it, goal difference is looking radiantly healthy. While Wilkins did not disagree, he did predict there would be "many more twists and turns to come".
Chelsea travel to Old Trafford next weekend for a match which might just be subject to a mild dose of hype over the next few days. The following week they rendezvous once more with O'Neill's men in the FA Cup semi-final. Bet Villa can hardly wait.

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Independent:
Lampard to the four as Blues run Villa ragged
Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1
By Mark Fleming at Stamford Bridge

It had been a relatively quiet season for Frank Lampard, until yesterday. With Chelsea needing a win to maintain the pressure at the top of the Premier League, he hammered in four goals as Carlo Ancelotti's side simply destroyed poor Villa.
Ancelotti, pilloried over Chelsea's meek Champions' League exit to Internazionale, took a gamble by leaving out top scorer Didier Drogba but now will head to Saturday's showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford with his team riding the crest of a wave.
Drogba had limped off against Portsmouth in midweek with a knee injury and Ancelotti decided to keep his 30-goal man on the bench, only to be used in case of emergencies. The Ivorian was never needed and will be fresh for Old Trafford, but United must travel to Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Suddenly Chelsea look the team to beat once again.
In Drogba's absence, Lampard stepped up to fill the void. His four goals took his Chelsea tally to 151 and moved him above Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood to third place in the club's all-time scoring charts. His contribution in the past six seasons has been immense, and when they needed him again after the trials of recent weeks, he delivered once more.
Chelsea's assistant manager, Ray Wilkins, said: "He is a world-class player who is invaluable to us. We will go there [to Old Trafford] with utmost confidence." The mauling left Aston Villa's manager, Martin O'Neill, despondent and fearing the worst when the two sides meet again in the FA Cup semi-final in two weeks' time. "I feel as devastated as I have ever felt in the game," O'Neill said. "I have been in the game as a player and manager for some considerable time and you get taught a few lessons along the way, but that was as tough as any."
Asked how he considered Villa's chances of finishing fourth now, O'Neill quipped: "Fourth? On that performance we wouldn't finish 44th."
Chelsea took the lead after a quarter of an hour. Florent Malouda's attempted shot deflected off Richard Dunne and Lampard tapped in from close range. However, they have been vulnerable after going ahead and conceded an equal-iser 14 minutes later. Ashley Young cut in from the left wing and his misplaced shot was allowed to bounce all the way to John Carew, who scored at the far post.
Chelsea never found a real rhythm to their passing, only showing what they are capable of in flashes. One such moment led to their second goal, as Malouda and Yuri Zhirkov combined superbly before the Russian fell over a challenge from James Collins and the referee, Peter Walton, blew for a pen-alty. Lampard hit the resulting spot-kick with such venom that even though goalkeeper Brad Friedel dived the correct way, he had no chance of saving it.
The best move of the game earned Chelsea their third goal. Deco sliced apart the Villa defence with a stunning pass to Zhirkov on the overlap and he looked up and found Malouda, who scored on the volley.
Chelsea soon added a fourth, when the excellent Zhirkov was upended by Richard Dunne and Lampard scored his second penalty of the game. The Blues were flying now, and shortly after Paulo Ferreira had dashed down the right Lampard passed to Malouda, whose explosive shot almost ripped the net from its moorings.
The sixth came when Lampard's ball found Nicolas Anelka and the Frenchman, who has gone 11 games without a goal, opted not to have a go, passing to the substitute Salomon Kalou, who did.
The Premier League's top scorers, who notched five at Portsmouth on Wednesday night, made it 12 goals in three days when Malouda's cross ricocheted off Luke Young and Lampard scored the seventh, his 20th goal of the season.
Attendance: 41,825
Referee: Peter Walton
Man of the match: Lampard
Match rating: 9/10

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NOTW:
LAMPS AND TERRY NO CHELSEA PENSIONERS Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1 By Andy Dunn

WHEN Frank Lampard rolled in his second penalty of a riotous afternoon, John Terry was 50 yards away.
Within seconds, he had Lampard in a stranglehold of joy and defiance.
The two men most synonymous with Chelsea's 21st Century success were brothers in arms again, linked for the combat ahead.
These were supposed to be fading disciples of the Jose Mourinho era, veterans of too many attritional campaigns.
Lampard's influence waning after years of uninterrupted excellence; Terry's leadership a busted flush amidst off-the-field wreckage.
This was to be a defining end of the season. Still will be.
Not just for the club's policies, for the patience of its owner, for the longevity of its manager.
But for the two playing pillars of Stamford Bridge, stalwarts whose lavish, long-term contracts were symptoms of a malaise threatening the pre-eminence of the house Roman built.
Make no mistake, this is a season's finale that will answer many a question about two of England's most indefatigable characters.
Questions that filled the dank night air after the last game here.
Yesterday, they began to answer with roaring indignity.
The manner in which Lampard smashed in his first penalty was not just emphatic, it was an angry riposte.
Every jarring tackle on John Carew, every sinew-straining celebration was a token of Terry's refusal to buckle, a gesture of resistance amidst the mental pressure.
Lampard and Terry have taken up the cudgels. They know there will be stellar contributions from others along the way.
From Florent Malouda, who continues to pepper a belated breakthrough season with goals that are easier on the eye than a Mrs Abramovich.
From Salomon Kalou even, who looked peckish when he came on for a goalscoring cameo.
From Didier Drogba when he returns after an afternoon on the bench.
(I'm not one for stats, by the way, but check out this one - 25 goals scored in the six games Drogba has missed).
But Lampard and Terry know that success will be brought through the type of belligerent example-setting that has been their speciality for so long.
This was their finest hour and a half in harness this season.
This wasn't kicking lumps out of a puppy such as Portsmouth.
This was against a team that clings to results with the lockjaw determination of a pitbull. A team that had not been beaten in 10 league games.
And that team left humiliated, their morale shattered by the remorseless quality of Lampard, the muscular ebullience of Terry and the elusive confidence of Malouda.
Apologies to Villa fans right now. There is little to say about your team's performance. Little to encourage you ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against the same opposition. Even John Carew's tap-in - which cancelled out Lampard's first - was the product of defensive drowsiness.
Collectively, they folded. Physically and up top. Individually, they had no-one to match Lampard.
He never switches off. Not even for Earth Hour, you suspect.
Great players never do. Amongst his myriad talents, unerring accuracy of shot might be the eye-catcher but his sense of awareness is underplayed.
He anticipates - passes, ricochets, knockdowns, mistakes - and never flags if nothing comes of his physical and mental exertions. When Malouda shaped to shoot, few could have envisaged a badly hooked strike, a deflection and an unlikely journey through a copse of limbs.
So little point, it seemed, in a central midfielder dashing to the far post. But that's what Lampard did, arriving with customary punctuality to fire the romp's starting pistol.
He had to stand through a blip before resuming a profitable afternoon that took him to third on the all-time Chelsea scoring list and gave him his sixth successive season with 20 goals.
Yuri Zhirkov was culpable for Carew's equalizer, somehow failing to notice the Villa striker was ghosting in behind him as Ashley Young's curling cross approached. That's if a 6ft 4in forward, built like a mature Norwegian pine, can ghost in.
But Zhirkov was to made amends with some spectacular interventions and some spectacular stylized falls.
Malouda's back-heel opened up an avenue for the Russian to scamper down - an avenue lined by the lamp-post presence of James Collins.
Straw-like Zhirkov would tumble under heavy breathing so when Collins rather mechanically extended his boot, there was only one option for the Chelsea full-back.
Peter Walton bought it but this was one of those occasions where the referee was in an invidious position. Was it a dive? Yes, I thought so. Was it a penalty? Yes. I thought so. Whatever, Lampard was angrily decisive from the spot, hitting it with unfamiliar venom and vicious lift.
The clichés about scoring just before half-time proved to be thumpingly apt.
From the moment Malouda capped a sublime, sinewy move with a bullish finish, the second half was a procession fuelled by an overwhelming rush of confidence.
That move was almost as beautifully piercing as the one that again sent Zhirkov careering joyously Brad Friedel-wards.
Richard Dunne gave away the penalty - with an almost resigned exhaustion - and Lampard's despatch this time looked less symbolic than the first.
This from a man who knew himself and his team were back on top of their game. And who knew the contest had become an exercise in goal-difference enhancement.
It was a sign of Malouda's swaggering self-belief that he collected the fifth with a right-footed flourish that unfurled the roof of the net.
With no need to extend Drogba's bruised legs - he took a couple of knocks so Carlo Ancelotti decided not to risk him - Kalou was sent on.
And the delirious crowd were, for the first time according to those who come here game in, game out, already singing Ancelotti's Christian name before Kalou drilled in the sixth.
Lampard's fourth was another example of his awareness, another illustration of being in the right time at the right place, of reading the game like few others do.
By now, they were bellowing his name and Ray Wilkins had to nudge Ancelotti when the masses demanded an Italian wave. He obliged and, after the game, settled down with a nice red.
But the real vintage came from Lampard and Terry, the skipper captaining Chelsea for the 325th time - a new record.
For that achievement, we will even forgive him the customary post-match ritual.
Shirt off, tossed gently to a deserving punter, biceps flexed, armband lifted to maximum prominence.
And as usual, he was the last person into the tunnel, only just beating Lampard.
How fitting. Just those two out on the pitch, the acclaim still ringing out.
They declared themselves ready for the most fascinating title fight in years.
They are ready for Old Trafford on Easter Saturday.
Bring it on.
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Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1: Frank Lampard hits four as rampant Blues annihilate Villans
By Daniel King

‘Have you won the European Cup?’ was the early, hideously premature taunt from Aston Villa fans.No, Chelsea have failed again to win the competition that obsesses owner Roman Abramovich, but they do look a decent bet to pick up the consolation prize of the Premier League title.
And Villa’s dreams of playing in Europe’s premier competition for the first time in almost 30 years are in tatters after this morale-crushing mauling.
Defeat by Inter Milan and a draw against Blackburn had many critics writing obituaries for this ageing Chelsea team and their latest manager, Carlo Ancelotti.But 12 goals in two emphatic victories, including seven yesterday without top scorer Didier Drogba being required to leave the bench, mean Chelsea can go into Saturday’s pivotal game against Manchester United with belief that the title is still theirs for the taking.Frank Lampard’s four goals took his Chelsea tally to 151, ahead of Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood, while John Terry’s 325th appearance as captain beat the record set by Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris. Osgood and Harris were part of the entertaining but underachieving Chelsea team of the Seventies and, given the huge investment Abramovich has made, he will not be prepared to wait the 50 years it took to win another title after Bentley’s side were crowned champions in 1955.If they succeed, great credit will also be due to Florent Malouda, their player of the year so far and denied the man-of-the-match billing his two goals and performance might otherwise have deserved only because of Lampard’s spree.In fact, there was good news for Chelsea all over the pitch. Deco was imperious as a slightly withdrawn playmaker, Yury Zhirkov rampaged down the left in a way which suggested Ashley Cole need not hurry his recovery, Petr Cech had a gentle reintroduction to the first team and even Terry looked back to something approaching his best. Not that he needed to be against a desperately disappointing Villa side whose only meaningful shot on target was John Carew’s first-half equaliser.
Villa have again run out of steam when it matters most. This may have been their first defeat of 2010, but only three wins in those 11 games is the more significant statistic.Before yesterday, only Manchester United had as mean a defence as Villa’s, but the shattering of that record, combined with the lack of creativity, brutally exposed their dreams of playing in the Champions League as fanciful. ‘We were well beaten by a fine side,’ said manager Martin O’Neill of the club’s worst defeat in nearly half a century.
‘But at 3-1 we capitulated.’ were slightly unfortunate to be behind after a poor first half.Lampard had opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Malouda’s fine cross eluded everyone else, but when Carew converted a similar delivery by Ashley Young 14 minutes later, Ancelotti was soon indulging in typically-Italian hand gestures and facial expressions which suggested he is not as undemonstrative as some may claim.Just before half time, Lampard restored the home team’s lead with the first of his two penalties. James Collins seemed to make contact with the ball first as Zhirkov ran on to Malouda’s pass, but he also appeared to step on the foot of the Russian, who made the most of the contact, and referee Peter Walton pointed to the spot. Lampard’s conversion was typically efficient.
So far, so unconvincing. But Villa had never looked like scoring until Carew’s goal and they never looked as though they would again.
Their delivery from set-pieces continued to be poor and Stephen Warnock’s horribly-high effort early in the second half said everything about their lack of cutting edge in attack.And although the more attractive style which Ancelotti claims to have brought to Chelsea had been little in evidence during the first half, a three-goal salvo with which they hit Villa in 11-second half minutes was great to watch.

Deco eased through the Villa half before stroking a beautiful pass into Zhirkov’s path and the Russian’s cross found Malouda unmarked and he finished with ease.Another good move ended with Nicolas Anelka helping the ball into the path of the onrushing Zhirkov, Richard Dunne bringing him down and Lampard completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot.Then Paulo Ferreira’s cross was left by Joe Cole but helped on to Malouda by Lampard, and the Frenchman caressed the ball into the net with his weaker right foot.

Further goals by substitute Salomon Kalou and Lampard, yet again, completed a riotous afternoon which Ancelotti enjoyed sufficiently to grant the crowd’s request for a wave not once, but three times. But the biggest cheer was reserved for news of Birmingham’s late equaliser against title rivals Arsenal.Now for Manchester United.