bolton 3-0

Independent:

Lampard's landmark return restores pride
Chelsea 3 Bolton Wanderers 0:

Captain inspires Chelsea to victory with senior servants recalled to line-up
STEVE TONGUE STAMFORD BRIDGE

A laboured win over a team in the bottom three is not exactly cause for an open-top parade but in their present predicament Chelsea and Andre Villas-Boas will take anything going. Mindful perhaps that Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked after a goalless draw at home to Hull three years ago this month, the suffering manager combined delight and relief at a first victory in six games.
It put his team three points ahead of Arsenal and seven behind third-placed Tottenham before the north London pair meet today. Clearly, only two of the capital's three principal clubs can make the Champions' League places, but Chelsea still have both of the others to play.
In front of Roman Abramovich, who had demanded to know the thinking behind team selection for the 3-1 defeat by Napoli in midweek, Villas-Boas restored Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, and was rewarded by Lampard in particular. Whatever his motivation – bloody-mindedness or simply professional pride – Lampard took hold of the captain's armband and then the game, making one goal before scoring his 150th in League football.
When Bolton, who have never recovered from a dreadful finish to last season, concede the first goal, they lose. That did not mean that Chelsea could relax after David Luiz seized the lead soon after half-time, but they could once Didier Drogba headed in Lampard's corner. By the end the home crowd, who had been initially supportive, then had their senses dulled in a soporific first half, were quite perky again.
So was their manager, who said: "The pressure has been on the team to get a result and the most important thing for us is to build from this day onwards. It's an important day because it can be the start to get our form right." He insisted that bringing back the senior players so soon after conveying his thoughts on the matter to the owner was "a coincidence" and dismissed the other conspiracy theory that he would soon be taking over from a former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri atInternazionale by saying: "There isn't a vacancy there and neither am I looking for a job. I'm looking forward to next year's project here."
Bolton must now get through a visit to Manchester City on Saturday, then pick up points against three other teams in the bottom five, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn and Wolves. Their manager, Owen Coyle, was understandably annoyed with the manner of conceding the goals, all of which illustrated the sort of poor defending that has undermined the team for much of the season. "Knowing they'd be a bit down in confidence, we worked hard, but goals change games," Coyle said.
The visitors' defence was rent asunder twice in the opening few minutes, only for Daniel Sturridge to shoot straight at the goalkeeper, Adam Bogdan, and Lampard to be forced wide and earn only a corner. For the rest of the first half, however, Bolton did much better – or Chelsea did worse – and chances were strictly limited. The crucial period was therefore the first quarter of an hour after the interval. In the 48th minute, Bolton surrendered possession to David Luiz, who fed Drogba and was well placed to receive the rebound from his cross, curling a drive just inside the far post.
Coyle's anger at the second goal was directed at the marking that allowed Drogba a free header from Lampard's corner to nod in his 100th goal for the club. In between times, David Luiz sent a header against a post and Drogba's shot clipped the crossbar. There was no way back for Bolton, who had nothing to offer other than an occasional speedy run by the Arsenal loanee Ryo Miyaichi and they conceded again when Lampard was allowed to steal in unmarked to the far post and volley in Juan Mata's cross with the side of his foot.
When Drogba limped off, FernandoTorres must surely have thought his time had come to exploit such a generous defence and claim a first goal in 23 appearances for club and country (Spain have just dropped him for the first time). Not everything is yet rosy in the Chelsea garden, however. His only shot flew high over the bar and at the final whistle he was straight down the tunnel without a glance at the crowd, body language indicating a total lack of confidence. Lampard, meanwhile, milked the applause from all four sides of the ground in a personal lap of honour. He deserved it.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Ramires (Mikel, 88), Essien, Lampard; Sturridge (Kalou, 80), Drogba (Torres, 76), Mata.

Bolton (4-4-1-1): Bogdan; Steinsson, Wheater, Ream, Ricketts; Tuncay (Eagles, 75), Muamba, Reo-Coker, Miyaichi; Pratley; Ngog (Sordell, 65).

Referee Michael Oliver.
Man of the match Lampard (Chelsea).
Match rating 6/10.

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Observer:

Frank Lampard returns to seal Chelsea's victory over Bolton
Amy Lawrence at Stamford Bridge

Cometh the hour, cometh the men. Could there be a more authentic flashback to the good old days than the sight of Frank Lampard delivering a teasing corner, and Didier Drogba dominating the scene to thump in a goal? After all the shenanigans, all the discontent, all the mediocrity, suddenly all was well in the world of Chelsea.There are times for talking about the project, for speculating about where certain players fit into the scheme of things for the future, but this was not one of them. This was a time for Chelsea to do whatever was necessary to dig out a result. Coincidentally or not, that required some strong old heads. Whether or not André Villas-Boas had some bridges to mend after a torrid week, he picked a team with an entirely different flavour to the controversial selection in the Champions League.Admittedly, they came up against a rather different calibre of opponent (Bolton were not just significantly worse than Napoli, they were not even an improvement on Championship side Birmingham) but a Chelsea bolstered by old-school nous recovered some confidence, some goals, and that all important winning feeling.Villas-Boas faced inevitable queries about whether a certain Russian oligarch might have applied some pressure about the team selection. "I got the call just this morning to play them," he said, tongue firmly in cheek. Once the sniggers had subsided, he batted back any insinuations and explained that the tinkering was partly tactical and nothing more than "normal squad rotation".Whichever way he sells it, the team sheet was considerably less incendiary than in Naples. Back came Lampard (captain), 33, Ashley Cole, 31, and Michael Essien, 29, into the starting lineup, backing up Drogba, 33. They meant business.Lampard – vociferously cheered by the Shed and greeted with a standing ovation as he went to take an early corner – was the most symbolic presence and the most influential. He was at the heart of the most creative work right from the start.Intriguingly, though, Villas-Boas refused to agree that the veteran midfielder had done enough to guarantee his position in future games. "It's not the way it works," he said. "Frank had a fantastic game but there is competition. There are six players competing for three places, and when we play with a No10 there are even less – six players for two places. Whenever we make decisions it is for the benefit of the team. Some players will be disappointed."It took a while for Chelsea to shake off their malaise, as Bolton kept them at bay in a stodgy first half. It took a flamboyant defender to find the decisive touch which radically altered the mood. David Luiz's penchant for ambling around the pitch draws criticism from defensive purists but Chelsea were delighted with it two minutes into the second half as he gambolled into the left side of the penalty area and, when the ball came back to him, steered a curling shot beautifully into the far corner.Down on the Chelsea bench, the coaching staff leapt giddily about. All except for Villas-Boas, who did not let his guard drop. His face did not crack. Up in the executive boxes, Roman Abramovich shuffled in his seat and broke into a smile. David Luiz and Drogba both struck the woodwork and, stepping up the pressure, Chelsea soon enough found their range and Bolton caved in. It was all reassuringly familiar for the faithful as Drogba turned in Lampard's corner with a thumping header to give Chelsea a cushion. Then came the gloss in the 79th minute as Lampard topped it all off by coolly sidefooting in Juan Mata's wonderful cross.Bolton had little to comfort them on the road home. About the best Owen Coyle's side managed was an effort lifted over the bar by Ryo Miyaichi – their brightest spark – and a low drive dragged wide by Nigel Reo-Coker."The most disappointing thing is the goals we gave up," Coyle said. "I felt we could achieve a point and where we are a point is vital."Chelsea's three moved them back into the top four. Villas-Boas hopes that this can be a springboard to happier days: "Our run is not impressive so the team really wanted to go back to winning ways. The most important thing is to build from this, solve the FA Cup and Champions League ties and improve our position in the league."The most important thing about this weekend is Arsenal v Tottenham and in which way we benefit from it. Either we come closer to Tottenham or we go fifth again and have a drama all the week."He smiled sardonically. After the week that he has had, any kind of smile is a big bonus.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Bolton Wanderers 0
By Duncan White, Stamford Bridge

Frank Lampard came back into the Chelseateam as captain, made the second and scored the third and then promptly revealed that his relationship with Andre Villas-Boas “has not been ideal” and that there have been “certain issues” between them.
This result, after a run of five winless games, should have been a tentative step back in the right direction for the under-pressure Chelsea manager but with Lampard, left out of the team in the Champions League defeat to Napoli last week, going public about his problems with him, Villas-Boas will once again find himself the subject of scrutiny.
“I think, from the outside, you can probably see that it’s not been ideal but the important thing is not to focus on individual relationships too much,” said Lampard, who is thought to have given the interview because he wanted to be “honest” with fans over the situation between himself and the manager, rather than out of any desire to escalate tension between the pair.
“It can only be negative and people do like to play on negatives. There have been certain issues. Certain players, we don’t like not to play. But it’s never a case of players throwing their toys out of the pram to the detriment of the club.”
Villas-Boas recalled the three players he had left out of that defeat in Naples and Chelsea made short work of Bolton, victory taking them back into fourth.
Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, two of the supposed dissidents, performed ably enough, but it was the performance of Lampard that proved decisive.
Having been asked to explain his Champions League selection decisions to Roman Abramovich – via technical director Michael Emenalo – it might have looked suspect that all three were recalled. Villas-Boas laughed off suggestions that he had been put under pressure to do so. “I got the call just this morning to play all three of them,” he said, grinning.
The recalls were, he explained with more measure, just part of “normal squad rotation” and a shift in formation, back to a 4-3-3.
At the time he felt he could afford the levity – this was a confidence-boosting result, especially as Abramovich was watching from the stands. The impassive Russian even managed a smile of his own when David Luiz opened the scoring.
Yet Lampard’s candour will have taken the edge off Villas-Boas’s celebrations. How the two reconcile themselves could define whether he remains as manager – he certainly made it clear, in response to a question about whether he would succeed Claudio Ranieri at Inter Milan, that he wants to stay.
“There is not a job vacancy at Inter Milan and nor am I looking for a job,” he said. “I have great involvement in the future of Chelsea and I am looking forward – a lot – to the initiation of next year’s project. There is a strong belief in the club that we can build something extremely good.”
Lampard gave one of his best performances of the season. Didier Drogba headed in his corner for the second goal, and the midfielder scored the third himself, volleying in Juan Mata’s far-post cross. Villas-Boas was full of praise.
“Frank is an unbelievable attacking midfielder with great timing of arrival in the box,” he said. “His performance was not great just because he got the third goal, it was great because he helped the team in the way he kept possession and helped with the defending.
“That is what we want from him. Everybody competes for a place and when he plays like this he is nearer to team selection.”
The goal was Lampard’s 150th in the league and it also meant he has now scored 10 goals or more in nine consecutive seasons, a Premier League record. If Villas-Boas feels his powers have diminished, the affection for him in the stands has not – as the game drew to a close, his name was sung around the ground. Little wonder he was the last Chelsea player to leave the field.
Another to shine was Luiz, who scored the opening goal. He had begun the Chelsea attack himself, pouncing on Nigel Reo-Coker’s slack pass. The Brazilian drove toward the Bolton box and passed the ball out to Drogba on the left and the while the striker’s cross was not cleanly struck, it presented a problem to David Wheater who could not clear. Luiz collected, checked inside the Bolton defender and curled his shot into the net.
Despite the poverty of Chelsea’s recent defensive record, the visitors struggled to put the home side under any kind of pressure. They desperately missed their clever central midfielder Mark Davies, out injured, and were dependent on Ryo Miyachi, as quick as he is skilful, to create rare opportunities. The Japanese forward, on loan from Arsenal, created the best chance just before half-time, hitting a first-time shot just over. Otherwise Bolton offered little other than hard graft.
So while the scoreline was convincing Chelsea will need to face more dangerous opposition before they can be confident of having turned the corner.
“The most important thing for us is to build from this day onwards, resolve the FA Cup tie [against Birmingham], resolve the Champions League tie and improve our position in the league,” Villas-Boas said.
“It is an important day because it can be a new start but in order for it to be the start of something we need to get our form back. That has to come against West Brom, Stoke, Birmingham and Napoli.”
On this evidence, Villas-Boas cannot afford to do without Lampard for those games.

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Mail:

Chelsea 3 Bolton 0:
That'll do! Relief for AVB as Luiz, Drogba and Lampard secure win
By ROB DRAPER

So, until the next poor result, Andre Villas- Boas fights on.
Whether by Roman rule or by a pragmatic sense of self-survival, the beleaguered Chelsea manager turned to old school Chelsea yesterday and was duly rewarded.
Where, on Tuesday night in Naples, he pointedly discarded Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien and relied on players who might be described as his men then succumbed to an embarrassing defeat, here he fielded what most would consider his strongest XI available and saw them eventually record a comfortable win.
Chelsea returned to fourth place. An FA Cup replay looms. And, who knows, they may yet overturn the 3-1 deficit inflicted by Napoli in the Champions League. And Villas-Boas may even be in charge for all of those games.
After victories, at least, the Chelsea manager is good at appearing the calmest man in a storm.
Did he feel he needed to win yesterday to save his job? 'Not at all.'
Was it important to be back in the top four? 'It was not a big scandal for me, but it was a big scandal for everyone else, because we dropped to fifth with the same points and a goal less (than Arsenal on goal difference).'
And was it important to win in front of Roman Abramovich? 'Today he was here, it was important for the team to win, [but] I think mostly for the fans. I think the pressure has been on the team to get results recently.
'Our run is, of course, not impressive [for] the last couple of games, and the team really wanted to go back to winning ways. We need to get this form right and be competent against West Bromwich, Birmingham, Stoke and Napoli.'
Those games will doubtless define his future, though he is already planning.
'At the moment I have great involvement in the future of Chelsea and I am looking forward a lot to the preparation and the initiation of next year's project. There is a strong belief within the club that we can build something extremely good.'
But this was in some ways a compromised victory. Though he insisted that the U-turn on selection was merely a matter of tactics, it felt like a victory for the old guard: that if Villas-Boas is to survive, it will be by relying on the tried and tested.
At times, the old boys' reunion seemed like a happy re-run of the good old days: Lampard's corner allowing Didier Drogba to head in and score, Essien patrolling midfield, Cole incisive down the wings and Lampard ghosting into the box with a well-timed run to score.
Yet Stamford Bridge was curiously flat. Goals were met with muted roars, the final whistle greeted with relief.
Given that the manager's future hung on the outcome, there was little tension or urgency. Only Lampard's presence and excellent display truly lifted the crowd.
Chelsea, after a flat first half, simply moved slowly through the gears to overwhelm a thoroughly obliging Bolton side who, Ryo Miyaichi aside, rarely threatened even Chelsea's fragile back four.
Owen Coyle was right to insist that his team had in some ways neutralised Chelsea in the first half.
But he was equally correct to point out his team's poor defensive display in allowing the opening two goals.
The Bolton manager conceded that here was an opportunity missed 'knowing they were down on their confidence after the run of results they have come off'.
Chelsea had started brightly with Daniel Sturridge forcing a smart save from Adam Bogdan and then feeding Lampard, who had made one of his characteristic runs from midfield, only to be ushered into a wide area, all in the first eight minutes.
Thereafter, only a long-range Sturridge effort and a wayward Cole strike were proffered and when Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic collided on 42 minutes, both attempting to reach the same ball to shoot on goal, there seemed a danger that the farce would descend into something darker.
But David Luiz's goal on 49 minutes settled nerves, the ever adventurous Brazilian centre-half breaking up Bolton's possession and starting a move which ended with David Wheater clearing poorly to Luiz, who stepped inside and lifted his strike into the top corner.
A minute later, Nigel Reo-Coker had Bolton's best chance, driving wide from just outside the box, and though Tuncay also went close on 58 minutes, shambolic marking, in which Drogba was allowed a free close-range header from a Lampard corner on 61 minutes effectively ended the contest with the second goal.
Bogdan then saved well from Essien's drive on 63 minutes before, fittingly, Lampard capped his performance with an archetypal goal. Juan Mata swung in a hanging cross for Lampard, making a perfectly timed run, to meet with a volley into the ground for the third.
'At least today the fans can go home smiling,' said Villas-Boas. As could he: for now, at least.

=================

Mirror:

Chelsea 3-0 Bolton
By Paul Smith

A vintage display from Frank Lampard temporarily lifted the pressure on under-fire boss Andre Villas-Boas in front of observant and twitchy owner Roman Abramovich.
Early reports had already suggested that an ­indifferent result could bring AVB’s reign to a swift end after a disappointing result against Napoli in the Champions League.
Although the first half, dominated by Chelsea, passed by without a goal, three second-half strikes ensured Abramovich’s mood lifted and AVB lived to fight ­another day.
“The pressure has been on the team to get results. Our run recently has not been impressive,” said Villas-Boas.
“It is now down to us to build on this result. It’s an important day as we got the result to help us build ­confidence going into more important games.”
Bolton manager Owen Coyle rued a poor second-half performance from his team. He said: “I don’t think the first goal killed us because we were threatening for the five minutes afterwards. But the second was crucial. We gifted them the first goal and when we started to open up we conceded a goal from a corner when markers failed to pick up Drogba.
“It’s fair to say having conceded three goals in the second half and given our position, I wasn’t happy.”
As the vultures began to circle around Stamford Bridge, Villas-Boas came out fighting amid accusations of an escalating dressing room revolt.
Three key players at the centre of the allegations of disharmony – Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien, who were axed from the starting line-up against Napoli in the midweek defeat – were ­immediately restored.
Chelsea, winless in five league and cup games, are in the midst of a serious crisis, leaving Villas-Boas fighting for his future at the Bridge just eight months into a three-year contract.
Yet their opponents came into the game with a dire record against the Blues.
You would have to go back nine years for the last time they celebrated victory.
Even with worrying question marks over Chelsea’s form you suspected they would have too much for a side fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
One-way traffic predictably ensued with Chelsea camped out in their opponents’ half. Yet for all their possession, Chelsea rarely troubled a dogged Bolton defence.
Despite a succession of corners and a raft of ­dangerous crosses, Chelsea were becoming increasingly frustrated at their inability to break Bolton down and threaten Adam Bogdan’s goal.
In fact the closest Chelsea came was towards the close of the half when Lampard’s through ball almost sent Didier Drogba away only for team-mate Branislav Ivanovic to block his way to goal.
It could have got a lot worse for Chelsea when a rare assault on goal by Bolton eventually led to Ryo Miyachi firing over from close range.
But three minutes after the break Chelsea’s pressure finally told when David Luiz fired home from the edge of the area.
And with Bolton having lost 17 of the last 18 games when they conceded the first goal, the odds were heavily stacked against them.
The lead should have been short-lived but Nigel Reo-Coker shot wide with the goal at his mercy.
Luiz almost grabbed a second for Chelsea in the 54th minute but was denied by an acrobatic goalline clearance by Miyachi.
And as the pressure intensified Drogba’s shot skimmed off the crossbar.
But Drogba made no mistake in the 61st minute, clinically heading home Lampard’s corner.
And Lampard rounded off a man-of-the-match performance, scoring Chelsea’s third to net his 150th league goal and become the first Chelsea player to score more than ten league goals in ten consecutive seasons.

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Sun:

Chelsea 3 Bolton 0

By ROB BEASLEY

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH could not have picked a better team.
Hang on a minute — maybe he did pick the team!
For all the old favourites were back in the Chelsea pack.
Frank Lampard was even captain and Ashley Cole and Michael Essien were restored to the side.
All just days after the dissenting trio were dumped to the bench in Naples by desperate Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Maybe it was just a one-game ban for their back-chatting, then.
Maybe AVB realised his mistake after the 3-1 humbling in Italy.
Or maybe someone had a word. Abramovich was in town after all.
AVB denied it, of course, joking afterwards: "Yeah, I got a call this morning to play the three of them."
It was not much of a joke — the Chelsea Press officer having to quickly intervene to explain it was meant to be funny!
That is how jumpy the suits are at the Bridge right now.
And the Russian oligarch was certainly showing a keen interest as his stuttering side took on bottom-but-one Bolton.
The billionaire sat up in his private box and spent the first half biting his nails, fidgeting nervously in his seat and looking serious.
Inevitably there were those intimating that poor AVB would get the chop if the Blues continued to flounder after the break.
Understandable when you consider Chelsea have won just one league game here since they beat leaders Manchester City way back on Monday, December 12.
Sunderland were the only side to succumb in the intervening two and a half months.
So no wonder Chelsea were nervous at first, despite such lowly opposition.
After all, only last week they were booed off by disgruntled fans when they were held here in the FA Cup by Championship outfit Birmingham City.
But what a difference a week makes.
This time Chelsea were cheered off, although probably as much in relief as joyous celebration.
Because Chelsea expect, and are expected, to beat Bolton. However, AVB and his men will take any break going right now and it will certainly have been a welcome change for the beleaguered Blues boss after such a torrid time.
And it was a deserved win after a vastly-improved display, especially in the second half.
Chelsea bossed the first half but without ever seriously threatening to break the deadlock.
That all changed after the break.
David Luiz has his critics as a defender but there are few better sights than the Brazilian running goalwards with the ball at his feet.
And within two minutes of the restart he was cutting in from the left, riding three tackles and planting a terrific shot into the back of the Bolton net. The whole mood of the stadium changed, the whole mood of the team changed.
Confidence flooded back and Chelsea started to re-awaken after their winter hibernation.
Minutes later Didier Drogba almost made it two when he was teed up by the impressive Juan Mata but his shot clipped the bar.
It was only a temporary reprieve for Owen Coyle's strugglers, though and a short wait for the Drog.
A 61st-minute Lampard corner was perfect for the Ivory Coast captain and Drogba applied the perfect finish, a thumping header in front of the Matthew Harding stand.
Four minutes later another Lampard corner set up Essien but this time Adam Bogdan beat out the threat to keep the score down.
But again it was not for long — and man-of-the-match Lampard raised the roof at the Bridge with Chelsea's third.
Mata was the provider with a wonderful ball to pick out his late-arriving skipper at the far post.
And Lamps did what he does best — volleying the ball home. That is 182 goals now so no wonder the Chelsea fans kept singing 'Super Frankie Lampard' over and over.
It was a salute to their long- serving hero who has done so much to bring glory to SW6.
And possibly a chiding to Villas-Boas for treating him so badly.
There is clearly life in the old dog yet, as proved by his tally of 12 goals so far this season. And it is all the more impressive when you consider his stop-start campaign.
He is Chelsea's top scorer with more goals than Drogba and Torres put together. They cost the best part of £75million remember so that makes Lampard priceless.
Hopefully AVB will finally wake up to the fact.
This was the old-style Chelsea doing what they always did best, steam-rolling teams with their power and passion.
It is what has been missing all too often this season.
But here was a flashback of what made the Blues great.
Drogba leading the line, Lampard and Essien in the engine room.
There were glimpses of the future too. Playmaker Mata showed glimpses of his star quality while Daniel Sturridge always looked to attack, always dared to be different.
And Luiz has a buccaneering spirit, allied to silky skills that make him special going forward.
If only he could defend as well.
But that is where Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill come in.
Both were prepared to cover for their wandering companion, alongside the ever-running Ramires and the ever-willing Essien.
Much more of this and Chelsea could be back in business and AVB just might survive.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Ramires (Mikel 88), Essien, Lampard, Sturridge (Kalou 80), Drogba (Torres 76), Mata Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Malouda, Meireles, Bertrand
Goals: Luiz 48, Drogba 61, Lampard 79

Bolton: Bogdan, Steinsson, Wheater, Ream, Ricketts, Reo-Coker, Muamba, Sanli (Eagles 75), Pratley, Miyaichi, Ngog (Sordell 65) Subs Not Used: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, Knight, Klasnic, Boyata
Booked: Pratley.

Att: 40,999
Ref: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

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Express:

CHELSEA 3 - BOLTON WANDERERS 0: GENIUS OF FRANK LAMPARD WORKS HIS MAGIC AGAIN

By Colin Mafham

IT just goes to show what can happen when you turn the Lamps back on again.Andre Villas-Boas did it yesterday after appearing to ditch Frank Lampard following a brainstorming summit that wasn’t to his liking.And the Chelsea fans’ favourite bounced back with a match-saving performance that proved once and for all that there is no substitute for experience.Whether Roman Abramovich now accepts that also applies to Chelsea managers only time will tell.One thing’s for sure, though. There’s still plenty of Premier League life left in Lampard – even if question marks still loom large over the manager who doubted his footballing longevity.The under fire AVB turned to ‘old’ Lamps again yesterday, along with Ashley Cole and Michael Essien, in what looked like a desperate quest for a cure for ills that threaten to bring both him and Chelsea down.In the end it worked wonders – of sorts.
Daniel Sturridge, the young man the rookie manager insists is a winger, was once again Chelsea’s only real first half goal threat. Bolton, quite frankly, didn’t have one.You could see why Wanderers are where they are. Chelsea on the other hand continued to confound – right up until the 47th minute.Step forward David Luiz with a piece of individual magic that won’t necessarily silence critics of his defensive qualities, but just went to show what he brings to the table.The Brazilian, not for the first time, forgot all about defending with a surging run that caught Bolton napping before he picked up a loose ball and finished off with a strike that the men in front of him had patently failed to do.
And he could so easily have had another soon afterwards with a header that Ryo Miyaichi scrambled off the line.In the end Didier Drogba got that within 15 minutes of the restart to take the pressure of a Chelsea team that up until then had continued to look a shadow of their former selves.Drogba’s header from Lampard’s corner beat Adam Bogdan all ends up. But as far as the Chelsea faithful seemed concerned it just went to prove how wrong AVB had been in leaving Lamps out in the first place.If TV footage of Abramovich immediately afterwards is anything to go by, the Russian’s expression suggested he agreed with them.And there really was no argument when the inspired Lampard calmly slotted home Chelsea’s third.His goal was taken with all the aplomb of a striker after Juan Mata set him up with the chance.
A resounding chorus of “Super, super Lamps” said it all really. AVB didn’t disagree, but still held back from guaranteeing him a first team place against West Brom next week.The Chelsea boss said: “Lamps had a fantastic performance today, but there are six players competing for that position and I make decisions for the benefit of the team. Lamps had his chance today and competed very well.“The pressure has been on us to get back to winning ways and this gives us a start.”Bolton’s Owen Coyle had no such luck, but took time to offer support to the beleaguered Villas-Boas.“AVB is a friend of mine and I know what he is trying to do and I think he will come through it, he said.He could not, however, give the same guarantees for himself.

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Star:

CHELSEA 3 - BOLTON 0: FRANK LAMPARD WAY TOO HOT FOR TROTTERS
By Tony Stenson

FRANK Lampard took the heat off the man who left him out in the cold.
Chelsea’s stand-in skipper went back to the future yesterday to rescue boss Andre Villas-Boas from the gallows.
He led the ‘Chelsea Three’ and inspired their first win in six games.
Outspoken rebels Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien returned after being dropped for speaking their minds when they told the Portuguese why the club had suffered such a dramatic slump in form.
Blues hero Lamps celebrated a masterly display as his third goal was enjoyed with equal delight by his TV personality fiancee Christine Bleakley and his dad Frank snr.
He was committed from his first tackle and never stopped running – an inspiration to all youngsters.
And the Chelsea feelgood factor was so strong that there were even loud cheers for non-scoring striker Fernando Torres when he came on late in the second half to replace the limping Didier Drogba.
Victory gave Villas-Boas some breathing space heading into a period of matches which could shape their season – as injured skipper John Terry admitted in his programme notes.
Goals from David Luiz, Drogba and Lamps lifted a weight off AVB’s shoulders but he still has much to prove.
Owner Roman Abramovich was one of many who watched and breathed a sigh of relief but he knows this victory over Owen Coyle’s struggling Trotters only papered over cracks and there are still more questions than answers at the Bridge.
AVB’s men looked hungry but were often let down but the quality of the final pass.
What Villas-Boas really needs is a player with the ability to find a killer ball at the key moment.
Lampard and Juan Mata have enough ammunition but there is little variety down the wings.
Daniel Sturridge often runs head-down at goal and needs to be told to open his eyes.
Lampard was dashing in midfield as he led the way with distinction while Cole was ferocious in the tackle and Essien was always solid in the centre of the park.
Terry accepted in his brutally honest comments that Chelsea were not playing well but he promised that “the tide will turn”.
A wonderful fourth-minute break by Sturridge after Lampard had won the ball with a fearless tackle ended in disappointment after a shot straight at keeper Adam Bogdan.
Sturridge then had Bogdan diving full-length to his right to turn away a 28th-minute rasper after Ramires had stormed through midfield.
Luiz opened the scoring with a 48th-minute snapshot after a powerful run split open the Bolton defence.
The defender could have had another but for a goal-line clearance by Ryo Miyaichi which saw the ball rocket against a post.
Chelsea then clicked through the gears and Drogba added a second from Lampard’s 61st-minute corner and then Lampard himself netted from Mata’s 79th-minute cross.
Chelsea left the field to cheers as opposed to recent jeers which must have been music to AVB’s ears.
In recent weeks he has dreaded his trips to the post-match interview room to be grilled by the media.
Last night it must have felt like walking down a red carpet in Tinseltown with confetti being thrown.
Villas-Boas, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, said: “This was so important.
“It was not about players returning but because of the formation I wanted. I have not spoken to our owner or anyone else.
“This is not about me but the team and the fans who have gone through a lot of worry.
“I thought Frank was excellent.”
He denied claims he was in the frame to replace Claudio Ranieri as Inter Milan boss, adding: “There’s no vacancy there and I want to stay and finish the job here.”
Coyle said: “We had seen Chelsea’s recent results and we felt we could achieve something here.
“We were disappointed we fell away after their first goal and to go down to a second from a headed corner hurt.”