wigan athletic 6-0

Independent:

Chelsea serve notice and hit Latics for six
Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 6: Brilliant Blues give their Premier League rivals half a dozen reasons why they should be feared

By Tim Rich at the DW stadium

When he arrived on Merseyside, overflowing with enthusiasm like no Liverpool footballer since Emlyn Hughes, Joe Cole remarked that the most important games were not the ones you wanted to win, such as those against Manchester City or Arsenal, but those you had to win. "Beat the bottom 10 teams home and away, that's 60 points and you're flying."
There are strong undertones of Jose Mourinho in that philosophy and it has been maintained by Carlo Ancelotti, although Mourinho's 1-0 victories now come with rather more garnish. Chelsea's last five League games have been won by a collective margin of 29-0.
Fourteen of those goals have come in two matches against Wigan. However, if this scoreline had echoes of the 8-0 rampage with which Chelsea sealed the championship at Stamford Bridge, Wigan – ludicrous as it may sound about a team that conceded six at home – were the better side for half an hour before disintegrating into the same defensive naivety that unhinged them against Blackpool. Next Saturday sees them at Tottenham, where they lost 9-1 last season, and already there must be fears for their future.
Not even at the helm of the Milan sides that won him two European Cups has Ancelotti started a season with two 6-0 victories and he joked this was: "Not real football but PlayStation". He added: "The first half was a tough game but maybe Wigan expended too much energy because it became easier for us. We counterattacked fantastically and, when we have space, we are difficult to stop. We have the quality and the power to win the title this season."
Quality and power were adjectives that sit very well with Didier Drogba's display. It says something for both sides that with the champions 3-0 up and Wigan's afternoon hopelessly lost, they each continued to attack. However, Chelsea's forwards were ruthless.
Drogba mingles a boxer's build with a sprinter's pace and here he burst through Wigan's thin defensive screen and, rather than shoot, made a present to Salomon Kalou. Moments later, he did the same, this time with a wonderfully-paced cross. If 5-0 was a cruel scoreline, then a sixth, from Yossi Benayoun, was vicious. "Cheap, hurtful goals," Martinez called them.
"This is very hard to explain," he reflected. "We are a side who lost 6-0 despite being the better team in the first half. My players don't deserve that feeling. However, the mental side is very important because last season we lost 5-0 to Manchester United and were the better team for 60 minutes."
In the wake of their evisceration by Tottenham, the club offered to refund those fans who had travelled to London. Even Wigan, whose Tannoy announcement before kick-off that "season tickets are still available" was one of the week's least surprising statements, would find it difficult to pay back its home crowd that had watched them capitulate to the hottest favourites for relegation in the history of the Premier League. However, for half an hour on a warm, grey evening they matched the champions. Had they started with this determination against Blackpool, the opening weekend of the season might not have appeared such a fairy tale.
Until reality came barging in with Florent Malouda's goal, Wigan looked as if they might repeat last September's 3-1 victory here that briefly halted Ancelotti's serene beginning to his first season in English football.
Yesterday it was Wigan who were caught cold as Chelsea scored with their first, second and third attacks.
The first was an exceptionally well-taken goal that began with a gossamer touch from Drogba to Ashley Cole who instantly spotted Frank Lampard and, if the midfielder's shot was parried by Chris Kirkland, Malouda merely had to roll the ball into the net.
After the interval, Nicolas Anelka brought down Michael Essien's long ball, picked his spot and drilled home with the kind of flourish that French football believes it can do without.
Moments later, Drogba ought to have headed in Malouda's cross but in the split second that Wigan might have cleared it; Anelka intervened with the speed of a panther.
If it exposed football's essential cruelty, the DW Stadium did not seem to mind. After the débâcle against Blackpool, most regarded this as a defeat foretold and before kick-off the ground had stood to applaud Sergeant Steven Darbyshire, a Wigan supporter and Marine, killed in Helmand Province. His two young children were mascots for the day, exposing yet again the folly of Bill Shankly's most famous remark about football, life and death.
Attendance: 14,476.
Referee: Mike Dean
Man of the match: Drogba
Match rating: 7/10

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Observer:

Chelsea goal machine crushes Wigan with second 6-0 win

Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 6 Malouda 34, Anelka 48, Anelka 52, Kalou 78, Kalou 90, Benayoun 90
Paul Wilson at DW Stadium

Like Blackpool, Chelsea probably wish they could play Wigan every week, though unlike Ian Holloway's team, the London club's supporters would soon become bored of such an arrangement. This was another six-goal mismatch for the Blues, and even if it only turned into a rout in the final minutes, the fact that Chelsea are in double figures for goals after only two matches gives the lie to the idea that there are no easy games in the Premier League. There are certainly easy starts, and they don't come much less demanding than West Brom at home followed by Wigan away.
Chelsea must have returned home wondering how on earth they managed to lose here last season. Wigan's support drifted off fearing the worst about the trip to Spurs next weekend, scene of a 9-1 mauling last season. People have been asking what is the point of Wigan Athletic, to which one of their own supporters claimed in a webchat last week that they were proud to sit at the bottom of the Premier League like an unflushable turd in a lavatory. Much more of this, one feels, and the U-bend beckons.
"The result was painful, but you need to be realistic," Roberto Martínez said. "We were unlucky to go behind in the first half, but once we were two or three goals down against Chelsea it was too difficult mentally for us to come back. The mental side is very important, and we need to react to setbacks better. We were very naive in the second half, there were too many cheap goals. I want us to be brave without being stupid."
Martínez says he cannot wait for the transfer window to shut, though at this rate he may have trouble lasting longer at the club than Charles N'Zogbia. Yet the side taken apart by Blackpool last weekend, causing more mirth at Wigan's expense than George Formby used to manage and prompting bookmakers to offer an astonishing 15-1 on a home victory here, actually kept the champions pinned in their own half for the first half-hour. That was just about all they did, Petr Cech made three comfortable saves from Maynor Figueroa and (twice) Hugo Rodallega, but they were three more saves than Chris Kirkland needed to make. Without ever looking seriously threatening Wigan gave Chelsea a few things to think about, with Mohammed Diamé and N'Zogbia working the ball up the right wing well and James McCarthy bristling with intent in central midfield.
John Terry, booed along with Chelsea's other England players, even made a couple of mistakes while the scores were still level, though Wigan being Wigan he was allowed to get away with them. Mauro Boselli, the home side's new record signing at £6.5m from Estudiantes, was not in the game enough to exude any menace as the spearhead of the attack, and neither was McCarthy quick enough to find him when Terry gave away the ball.
All too predictably, Wigan were left regretting this when Chelsea almost casually put a move together just past the half-hour mark and took the lead without too much trouble. Didier Drogba began the attack, before Ashley Cole combined with Frank Lampard on the left to remind the sparse Wigan crowd that booing decent players is not such a clever idea. Lampard only flicked a shot in Chris Kirkland's direction but the Wigan goalkeeper still had to dive full length to get a hand to it, and with no defenders on hand to help him out it was a simple matter for Florent Malouda to roll the loose ball over the line.
The question now was whether Wigan would retain enough self-belief to keep taking the game to Chelsea, or whether they would allow their heads to drop and suffer another heavy defeat. At the same stage last week Blackpool were three up. Unfortunately for Martínez, Chelsea needed only three second-half minutes to extend their lead and put Wigan into damage limitation mode.
Hugo Rodallega had a half-chance at the other end but could not make anything of it, and when Mikel John Obi played in Nicolas Anelka a minute later the man who blows his nose in the face of French football showed how a real finisher goes about his work, slotting the ball past Kirkland from a narrow angle.
That was all too clearly game over, though old habits die hard and Wigan characteristically conceded a third just four minutes later. Malouda's cross from the left was turned back across goal by Drogba, a couple of defenders on the line did nothing to address the situation and Anelka was allowed to get his head to the ball. One thing Martínez must sort out, if he is to keep his job and prevent any more embarrassing scorelines, is who takes responsibility at the back. Steve Bruce made Wigan hard to beat, if occasionally hard to watch. Martínez appears to have loftier ideals, but no amount of passing and moving can overcome three- or four- goal deficits.
Wigan played some of their best football after going three down, with N'Zogbia twice denied by Alex blocks, McCarthy seeing a shot touched onto the post and Boselli being denied his first goal by a raised offside flag, though by that stage Chelsea were easing up and thinking of their next game, even if Terry was fortunate not to see a second yellow card for a sly lunge at N'Zogbia's ankle. "I have never had such a start to a season before but the mentality is different in England than Italy," Carlo Ancelotti said, perhaps a little generously. "At three goals down Wigan kept trying to win the game. The first half was tough, they made it hard for us, but maybe that cost them a lot of energy."
Chelsea on economy setting were still too much for Wigan to handle, and once Drogba's run from halfway set up a goal for Salomon Kalou, there was always the chance that more would arrive. They duly did, with the excellent Drogba making another for Kalou and Yossi Benayoun notching his first for his new club at the end. Whatever it is that Wigan are good at, it isn't damage limitation.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT PAUL FARRINGTON, Wiganer.net
Well it was better than last week - none of the players showed any effort then and there was obviously a marked improvement on that here. But it's a bit insignificant given the form Chelsea are in. They were always going to walk all over us. We possibly shaded the first half, but we came out all guns blazing at the start of the second and then let in two quick goals and lost our heads. The mood is not very good – everyone wants Martínez to do well but people can't really see a light at the end of the tunnel at the moment, and it's White Hart Lane next. There was barely a Wiganer left in the stands at full time .
The fan's player ratings Kirkland 4; Stam 6, Gohouri 6, Alcaraz 6, Figueroa 6 (Boyce 84 n/a); McCarthy 7 (Watson 79 n/a), Thomas 6, Diame 6 (McArthur 80 n/a), N'Zogbia 7; Boselli 4, Rodallega 6

TRIZIA FIORELLINO, ChelseaSupportersGroup.net
It's rather dull winning 6-0 every week – why can't we make seven or eight? To be fair, we found it quite difficult in the first 20 minutes, but as soon as the first goal went in, Wigan faded away. In the second half, we commanded the game, the defence held strong, and the forwards and midfield took it in turns to score. In the end, we really made it look easy. I'm glad Anelka got a couple of goals because normally he plays the unselfish role, supplying Drogba. Today he played really well and the defence held strong. Benayoun came on for the last 10 minutes and you could not ask more than for him to score. It was a good finish as well.
The fan's player ratings Cech 8; Ivanovic 7 (Ferreira 63 7), Alex 9, Terry 9, Cole 8; Essien 8 (Benayoun 80 7), Mikel 7, Lampard 7; Anelka 9, Drogba 7, Malouda 8 (Kalou 70 8)


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Mail:

Wigan 0 Chelsea 6: Martinez fears the worst after Blues smash another six
By Joe Bernstein

Any more results like this and the Premier League will have to stop calling itself the world’s most competitive under the Trades’ Description Act. Chelsea, who put six past West Bromwich Albion last weekend, helped themselves to another halfdozen yesterday, with manager Carlo Ancelotti praising them as ‘PlayStation footballers’.
They did not even have to play particularly well or Wigan that badly. There was just a massive gap in class once the opening goal had been scored by Florent Malouda after 34 minutes.
Nicolas Anelka, who said he was ‘dying from laughter’ on Tuesday after being banned for 18 games by France for insulting coach Raymond Domenech at the World Cup, was happier still as he scored twice in five minutes at the start of the second half.
The brilliant and unselfish Didier Drogba followed up three goals last weekend with a hat-trick of assists while substitutes Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun shared a late goal rush, Kalou scoring two and the Israeli his first for the club. Ancelotti’s champions have scored 20 goals in their last three games while Wigan have shipped 10 in two.
Some Wigan fans, already irked by the previous Saturday’s 4-0 defeat by Blackpool, left calling for the head of manager Roberto Martinez. Defender Maynor Figueroa was also carried off with an ankle injury and out-of-sorts goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was cheered sarcastically when he held a simple cross towards the end.
Next up is Tottenham, where they conceded nine goals last season. Martinez said: ‘I can’t waste any energy thinking about my job. I have to spend my time making sure results like this don’t happen again.
‘The final score did not reflect the game. I was pleased with how we did in the first half. But we are not mentally strong enough to deal with setbacks. It is a very hurtful scoreline. We looked very naive.’
For 33 minutes, Wigan were the better team as Petr Cech saved from Hugo Rodallega and Figueroa. But Ashley Cole then set up Frank Lampard, whose soft shot was parried by Kirkland into the path of Malouda.
The match was settled in that moment, and the five second-half goals were just window dressing. Ancelotti tried to be gracious in victory.
‘It was tough in the first half but once we got space, we are fantastic at the counter-attack. We have got PlayStation footballers.
‘I haven’t changed anything about the team’s style. You have to defend before you attack. Wigan tried to come back in the second half and that left more space for us. We had fantastic motivation.’
Anelka, who confirmed his international retirement after his long ban, was the chief beneficiary of Wigan’s defensive woes. He collected John Obi Mikel’s long pass after 48 minutes and, with Kirkland reluctant to rush out, slipped the ball home rightfooted.
Four minutes later he barely needed to jump to head past Kirkland, who stayed rooted on his l ine when Drogba played Malouda’s cross back inside the six-yard box.
From then onwards, it was just a case of how many Chelsea would score, with the only cheers from Wigan fans being reserved for Charles N’Zogbia when he first caught John Terry in the race and then kicked the other pantomime villain Cole in the shin.
Chelsea scored three times in the final 12 minutes. Drogba powered through the middle of the Wigan defence before setting up Ivory Coast team-mate Kalou after 78 minutes. The same combination made it 5-0 in the final minute of normal time when Kalou glanced home Drogba’s cross from the left, and, with the final kick of the game, Benayoun made it six.
Martinez has one of the thinnest squads in the Premier League and seems powerless to keep N’Zogbia, who was ruled mentally unfit to play last weekend after having his head turned by interest from Sunderland and Birmingham.
‘The reality is he is a Wigan player now. The quicker the transfer window closes, the better. It doesn’t help players get focused and I don’t think it should be open once the season has begun,’ said Martinez.
‘The chairman [Dave Whelan] has been as supportive as possible.’
One fears, though, the axe may still fall soon on one of the niceguy managers.

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Telegraph:

Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 6(HT 0-1) Malouda (34)Anelka (48, 52)Kalou (78, 90)Benayoun (90+3) By Graham Chase

It says so much for the certainty and efficiency of this Chelsea side that Wigan Athletic will come away from a heavy defeat with no points but plenty of pride.
It is only against the very best that results are measured in such a relative manner and although Wigan will feel they controlled much of the opening period yet Chelsea did not feel in the least bit threatened.
After Florent Malouda opened the scoring, Nicolas Anelka scored another two following a week that saw him respond to an 18-match ban by the France national team by claiming he was "dying with laughter".
Such was Chelsea's superiority, Anelka's mood was more of a smug smirk, particularly after Salomon Kalou added a late fourth and a fifth to underline Chelsea's wonderful start to the season.
Chelsea's 3-1 defeat here in September was as chastening as losses get and, fresh from another humbling of their own against Blackpool last week, Wigan set about trying to recreate that momentous day in their history.
Petr Cech was bundled over and Steve Gohouri won the ball and smashed through Florent Malouda and after Mohamed Diame burst away from Branislav Ivanovic, his cross had just too much on it for Mauro Boselli.
Maynor Figueroa also broke forward from deep and had a thumping 30-yard effort swatted away by Cech and there were also some neat touches from Charles N'Zogbia, who was left out of the Blackpool defeat due to his poor attitude.
Michael Essien's wild strike into the crowd was as close as the visitors came in the early stages, content to stand firm against the onslaught and wait for some semblance of control as Nicolas Anelka struggled with his weekly battle with the offside flag.
Hugo Rodallega, whose harassment of the Chelsea defence was crucial to last season's victory, also had a curling free kick held by Cech as the hosts sensed their momentum was gathering.
Seven days before, Wigan were second to everything but now they were fighting each other to win second balls and after Diame bustled Anelka off the ball, Figueroa laid the ball on for Rodallega, who cut in from the left and had another long-range effort held by Cech.
But while Wigan were struggling to make their dominance count, Chelsea pulled them apart with their first attack of any note.
Didier Drogba slipped through to Ashley Cole, whose shove left N'Zogbia on the ground, and the left back's cross picked out Frank Lampard on the penalty spot. Chris Kirkland palmed away the midfielder's stab at goal but Malouda was the quickest to react, to roll into an empty net from a couple of yards out.
Ronnie Stam had a low effort saved by Cech as Wigan searched for a way back but Chelsea looked like they could rip the hosts open whenever the fancy took them, with Antolin Alcaraz desperately clearing ahead of Drogba.
N'Zogbia was clearly aggrieved and seconds after a late sliding challenge on John Terry, the Frenchman looked to have caught the Chelsea captain with his knee.
A couple of minutes after the restart, Chelsea put the game beyond their hosts, with a goal that exposed Wigan's defensive failings as much as demonstrating the ruthlessness of the champions.
John Obi Mikel's 60-yard diagonal ball was perfect for Anelka and the striker found a way of squeezing the ball inside the far post despite being forced wide.
Five minutes later, it was three. Cech hoofed the ball clear down the left channel, and Drogba attempted to bounce the ball in from Malouda only for Anelka, who had been in an offside position, to glance over the line with the faintest of touches.
Wigan still attempted to stretch the Londoners, with James McCarthy playing N'Zogbia through, only for the Frenchman to be denied by Alex's block.
Another wonderful run by Rodallega ended with Brazilian Alex once again flinging himself in front of N'Zogbia's effort.
Even when Wigan finally did have the ball in the net, it was ruled out for offside. Youngster James McCarthy's curling shot beat Cech but came back off the post for Mauro Boselli, who had failed to spot Chelsea's defensive line step up.
Boselli, a £6 million summer recruit from Estudiantes, also had a glancing header blocked by Cech after meeting N'Zogbia's fine cross.
The rout was complete when Drogba intercepted in midfield and burst clear only to square for substitute Kalou to side-foot into an empty net and he also glanced in a second from Drogba's wonderful cross to make it five with a minute left before Yossi Benayoun scored his first for the club to make it six.
Effortless, easy and authoritative.

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NOTW:

LIFE'S SWEET FOR CARLO'S HEROES Wigan 0 Chelsea 6

EASY: Chelsea were far too strong for Wigan By Neil Ashton

THEY are like kids in a sweet shop, the perfect pick 'n' mix for the Premier League.
Sugar-coated some weeks and irresistible the next, Chelsea are chewing up and spitting out the opposition.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are tucking into this title race, Pacmans gobbling up anything that stands in their way.
They helped themselves to three points here, unwrapping Wigan and tossing them away like a piece of litter.
Soon Roberto Martinez's team will be perishable goods, in the dustbin and ready to be thrown out with the rest of the rubbish.
They are in the cart after this - at the foot of the table after some familiar names scored Chelsea's goals.
Apparently, Nicolas Anelka will be laughing for the rest of his life after the France Football Federation banned him for 18 matches.
Nothing could wipe the smile off his face yesterday as he scored twice.
He is in his element now he's back among his Chelsea team-mates.
This is silver service, with the Double winners serving up 29 goals in their last five Premier League matches.
Even Petr Cech's loving it, on a run of five clean sheets in the league that stretches back to Gareth Bale's goal for Tottenham back in April.
Suddenly, they are the country's eye candy and a treat for anyone settling down for an afternoon watching TV on the sofa.
They were in their new orange and black away strip yesterday, a random creation based on the colour of someone's favourite liquorice allsort.
It suits them, men in black obliterating anything that stands in their way.
Last week it was newly-promoted West Brom, this week Wigan.
Martinez and his team of marshmallows are lovely to look at, lulling their supporters in with their groovy passes across the pitch.
For short spells, they look like world beaters and yet they always end up well beaten.
This is the Wigan way, impressive on the ball and clueless whenever they lose it, which is frequently.
Something will have to change if they - and Martinez - are to survive for much longer.
They are naive beyond belief, allowing themselves to be buried by a team with ambitions beyond the league title.
Chelsea are equipped for anything, the team for all seasons after completing a memorable Double last season.
They are crushing sides at the moment, with Florent Malouda, Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Yossi Benayoun all in the hunt for goals.
They are screaming for the ball every time Chelsea find their rhythm, with bodies piling into the box as they prepare for another slaughter.
It's safety first for those clubs outside the top 10 and for the avoidance of any doubt, Wigan are certainly outside of that bracket.
After Malouda put Chelsea ahead, it was a straightforward training-ground exercise.
This was an attack against something that could only loosely be described as a defence. To call Wigan's back five - Chris Kirkland, Ronnie Stam, Steve Gohouri, Antolin Alcaraz and Maynor Figueroa - non-league would be doing non-league players a disservice.
They gave up after Chelsea's second goal, a crime that should be punishable with imprisonment for anyone privileged enough to call themselves a professional.
It was embarrassing, although the game slipped away once Malouda took advantage of Kirkland's failure to cleanly gather Frank Lampard's first-time strike after 34 minutes.
Latics chairman Dave Whelan continues to believe in Martinez's vision, which is just as well because any other owner would be having Premier League palpitations by now.
Martinez is on the fast-track all right, hurtling towards the Championship just two games into the season.
Wigan's players clapped their fans at the final whistle when they should have been on bended knees and begging them to come back again.
Just shy of 15,000 were in the DW Stadium and only the die-hards could ever believe they are in anything other than meltdown.
Charles N'Zogbia, back in the team after his hissy fit before the 4-0 defeat against Blackpool, was largely anonymous.
The same can be said of his colleagues, filleted by the professionalism that sears through this talented Chelsea team.
Yes, they are good but Wigan make teams look like they have come from another planet.
After they conceded straight after the break, when Anelka rifled the ball beyond Kirkland, it became a free for all.
Wigan laid on a free buffet and Chelsea simply helped themselves to the goodies on offer.
Didier Drogba was immense, a hat-trick hero against West Brom last week and a provider this time.
His header set up Anelka for the third, touched in beyond a huddle of Wigan defenders afraid to put their head where it hurts.
Martinez is on the chopping block and will be determined to put it right when they travel to Hartlepool, of all places, in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.
Surely, they cannot concede six there, but that's what they did in front of their militant supporters yesterday.
Kalou scored twice after coming off the substitutes' bench, neat finishes as Chelsea went in search of goals.
They scored 103 last season and are on course for another century, celebrating their last goal when Benayoun entered the fray.
It was a bitter end for Martinez but life sure tastes sweet for Chelsea.


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Star:

ANELKA DOUBLE AS CHELSEA CRUISE TO 6-0 TRIUMPH AT WIGAN

By Paul Hetherington at The DW Stadium

NICOLAS ANELKA showed France what they have sacrificed with two goals in four minutes to clinch a crushing victory for Chelsea.
Anelka, banned by his country for 18 games for his World Cup bust-up with coach Raymond Domenech, ended what at the time was a brave Wigan battle.
Then sub Salomon Kalou made it 4-0 11 minutes from time, when he slotted home Didier Drogba’s pass.
And Kalou struck again in the last minute with a header from Drogba’s cross, before another substitute, Yossi Benayoun, fired home the champions’ sixth goal in added time.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said: “This is not real football. This is more like PlayStation.
“It has never happened to me before where I have won my first two matches of the season 6-0. Now, what it means, is we have to stay focused.
“But as a team, we are fantastic on the counter-attack.”
This always looked like being a mis-match, despite the Latics’ shock 3-1 win in the last season’s fixture.
After all, Wigan were humiliated 4-0 at home by newly-promoted Blackpool last weekend.
In contrast, Double-winners Chelsea launched their Premier League campaign with the 6-0 thrashing of West Brom – and Chelsea also put eight past Wigan on the final day of last season.
Eventually, for already-struggling Wigan, this match took its expected course – but the hosts initially showed no sign of a Blackpool hangover.
Maynor Figueroa produced the game’s first serious scoring attempt in the 11th minute. The left-back let fly from 30 yards but his well-struck effort was beaten out by Petr Cech.
Hugo Rodallega also twice pressed Cech into action for a Wigan side strengthened by the recall of wantaway Charles N’Zogbia.
But Chelsea’s first quality attack brought them the lead on 34 minutes.
Frank Lampard’s shot was pushed aside one-handed by Kirkland but Malouda was on the spot to turn the ball over the line.
Three minutes into the second half, it was 2-0 with Anelka hitting his first of the season – followed four minutes later by his second.
On the first occasion, Kirkland committed himself too soon when he raced out as Anelka moved on to John Obi Mikel’s long ball.
Anelka easily drove the ball into the far corner of the net, then made it 3-0 with a close-range header, albeit from an offside position, after Drogba had nodded back Malouda’s cross.
Wigan tried to hit back but James McCarthy’s shot was deflected on to the post and Mauro Boselli was offside when scoring the follow-up.
Then came the late three-goal burst to make 29 goals in Chelsea’s last five top-flight games.
Gloomy Latics boss Roberto Martinez said: “The scoreline is really hurtful – I hate losing like this for the fans and the players. We are giving goals away too cheaply but we were playing a very talented side.”


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Express:
NICOLAS ANELKA SHRUGS OFF WORLD BAN
By John Richardson at the DW Stadium Wigan 0, Chelsea 6

NICOLAS Anelka is on extended French leave but he is still able to create carnage in the Premier League – together with his rampant Chelsea mates who hit Wigan for six.
The striker, who has been handed a draconian 18-game international ban by the French football authorities for his part in a World Cup rebellion, missed out on last week’s goal glut against West Brom.
Yesterday he was back in business with a quick-fire double at the beginning of the second half which lit the fuse for Wigan’s second capitulation in eight days.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that his reigning champions have to hit the ground running with the race for the title even tighter this season.
Usain Bolt couldn’t do things much quicker, Chelsea having already racked up 12 goals in their opening two games. They have now struck 29 in their last five league games without reply, including a title-clinching 8-0 demolition of their hosts in May.
Ancelotti called the successive 6-0 wins against West Brom and Wigan “PlayStation football.” He warned: “It’s impossible to score six goals every week. I’ve never had a start to a season like this in my life.
“But we have the quality to win the title again this season. We have a lot of skill. The best quality is our counter attacking.”
In the end it was a stroll as Ancelotti’s side exorcised the ghosts of last season, Wigan stunning the football world with a 3-1 win here against their illustrious visitors – just one of six games Chelsea lost en route to the title.
Even so there was no need for Paul the psychic octopus on this one, Chelsea having put six past West Brom and Wigan being thumped 4-0 at home to Blackpool last week. It appeared a no-brainer before a ball had been kicked. The bookies certainly thought so, offering 15-1 for a Wigan victory.
But after a bright start in which Petr Cech was the busier keeper, Wigan were caught cold by Chelsea’s most compelling move of the first half.
Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard were prominent in unhinging the home side’s defence. Didier Drogba’s astute pass saw Cole accelerating into the area before inviting Lampard to open the scoring.
Keeper Chris Kirkland, who had endured a nightmare on the same ground seven days earlier, brilliantly blocked Lampard’s strike but Florent Malouda stroked home the rebound.
Chelsea hadn’t exactly sent shudders through the Wigan side in the opening half but this was now as much a mental test as a physical one for Roberto Martinez’s team, who had folded when Blackpool stepped on the gas. Within three minutes of the restart they were at it again as Anelka exploded into action with a swift double to announce his first Premier League goals of the season.
As Wigan sleepwalked, Chelsea went to town. First John Obi Mikel found Anelka cutting in from the right flank. He glided into the box and a finely-executed, angled drive sped into the corner of the net.
A fine angle, an even finer finish from the Frenchman who wasn’t finished yet. From Chelsea’s next sortie, this time down the left, Malouda supplied the deep cross, Drogba headed across goal and Anelka nipped in decisively with his head – game over.
There was still time for a fizzing finale which was cruel on Wigan, substitute Salomon Kalou scoring twice and Yossi Benayoun completing the rout.
Wigan boss Martinez is already under the cosh, just two games into the season, but he maintained: “The chairman, Dave Whelan, is passionate and he wants the best for Wigan but I won’t be wasting any energy worrying about my job.” This Saturday it’s off to Spurs – where they lost 9-1 last season!

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People:
Wigan 0-6 Chelsea: Six again for goal-mad Chelsea
by Steve Bates

THIS was supposed to be the season when life would get tougher for the big boys.
But Chelsea showed last night they are a formidable force hell-bent on smashing any opposition in their way.
Six goals on the opening day against West Brom and another six on their travels at Wigan – Carlo Ancelotti’s stars have thrown down the gauntlet to their title rivals in startling style.
And with the season barely under way, Ancelotti’s stars already have a goal difference to frighten the life out of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Roberto Mancini.
The power, pace and attacking ­brutality of Chelsea’s play in the ­second half at the DW Stadium was breathtaking as Nicolas Anelka bagged two killer goals and Salomon Kalou came off the bench to grab a couple, too.
And the ruthless way they ground hapless Wigan into the turf with goals in the dying seconds of the match was a powerful message that they are not going to surrender their league crown easily.
Florent Malouda kick-started the party with a first-half opener before Wigan were buried under a second-half avalanche of five goals that has surely put Wigan boss Roberto Martinez’s job in jeopardy.
Naive
After their shocking 4-0 defeat by newly-promoted Blackpool last week, no one expected the miracle of a Wigan win, especially as Chelsea ­hammered them 8-0 at Stamford Bridge to confirm themselves ­champions on the final day of last season.
But the boos rang out around the stadium at the final whistle as Wigan trudged off after another hiding.
You have to salute Martinez for his philosophy of wanting to play adventurous, attacking football. But Wigan’s play is naive at times – and they are always going to be there for the taking against sides like Chelsea.
Their defending in the second half was suicidal.
And as the goals flew in, Wigan fans weren’t the only ones wondering just how long Martinez can last.
Bizarrely, Wigan were arguably the better side in a first half when Chelsea failed to find their rhythm.
Hurt by the Blackpool shambles, Martinez was pleased with the initial reaction of his stars last night.
The Spaniard had drilled into his players the importance of defensive resilience and team shape. And they showed the steel and grit they so ­pitifully lacked against Blackpool in a scrappy first half that was going their way until the 34th minute.
With Wigan looking comfortable, Chelsea suddenly exploded into the game.
Michael Essien, all power and ­desire, sparked a deadly phase of ­incisive passing culminating in Didier Drogba playing in the overlapping Ashley Cole.
The England full-back picked out Frank Lampard’s trademark run into the box and although Chris Kirkland got a hand to it, he could only push it into the path of Malouda, who tucked home.
After his double blunder against Blackpool, this time there was no blame attatched to Kirkland, but Wigan pointed the finger at referee Mike Dean, claiming Cole had fouled Charles N’Zogbia in the build-up.
Wigan needed a 15-minute period to regroup – instead, Chelsea stepped on the gas.
Anelka punished them on the break, racing on to John Obi Mikel’s terrific pass before steering home a low drive after Kirkland fatally hesitated as he came out.
Pride
Four minutes later Anelka, banned for 18 games by the French Football Federation for his World Cup outburst against Raymond Domenech, ­brightened his week again.
Petr Cech’s long clearance found Malouda, who crossed to Drogba at the far post.
The Chelsea striker ­athletically brought the ball down and it bounced up kindly for Anelka to nod over the line from point-blank range to leave Wigan dead and buried. The Latics gamely tried to salvage some pride and only a flying block by Alex prevented N’Zogbia pulling one back, while Argentinian striker Mauro Boselli had a goal disallowed for ­offside after 61 minutes.
Drogba was not among the goals but his link play was superb, and he set up Kalou after 77 minutes, ­powerfully racing from the halfway line with Wigan defenders trailing in his wake before giving his team-mate a simple chance.
With seconds of normal time left, Drogba floated in a teasing cross for Kalou to glance home for 5-0. And in injury time Drogba was involved again as Paulo Ferreira pulled back the ball for late sub Yossi Benayoun to sweep home.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Wigan’s next Premier League task is at ­Tottenham ... where they lost 9-1 last season.


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Mirror:

Wigan 0-6 Chelsea
By Simon Mullock

Just a week into the new season and already the champions are looking ominously good.
Okay, so Chelsea have only played two teams surely ­destined for a fight for ­survival rather than a ­challenge at the top.
But the way Carlo ­Ancelotti’s men have ­arrogantly dismissed West Brom and Wigan has been mightily impressive.
Twelve goals scored, none conceded and top of the table with six points – ­Chelsea are going to take some ­shifting.
If the six-goal blitz of the Baggies on the opening day was a one-sided stroll, this was Chelsea at their ­counter-attacking best.
Wigan had been jeered off by their own fans after being humiliated by relegation favourites Blackpool last week.
On the final day of last ­season Carlo Ancelotti’s men clinched the title by hitting the Latics for eight.
Yet the Londoners did have their colours lowered 3-1 at the DW Stadium on their way to the crown.
And there was an early scare for them when ­Mohamed Diame’s cross from the left was a fraction too high for Mauro Boselli as he leapt in front of the static Alex.
Wigan’s forceful start ­continued with a long-range Maynor Figueroa strike that Petr Cech was forced to beat away.
Cech clutched Hugo ­Rodallega’s 30-yard free-kick and John Terry twice headed clear as Wigan ­continued to keep the ­visitors on the back foot.
And Cech had to be ­positioned perfectly when Rodallega’s drive thudded into his chest.
Chelsea’s travelling fans responded with a chorus of “championes” – and what a timely reminder it proved to be for their team.
Chelsea had hardly been seen as an attacking force, but in the 34th minute they galvanised themselves to stunning effect.
Ashley Cole surged down the left in the and picked out Frank ­Lampard with a low cut-back cross.
The midfelder controlled instantly and poked a shot towards the bottom corner that Kirkland could only tip across his six-yard box.
Florent Malouda pounced to score.
A minute later it only Ronnie Stam’s last-ditch tackle that prevented Didier Drogba from doubling Chelsea’s lead.
It still needed a crunching tackle from Terry to keep the lead intact in first-half injury time. Boselli allowed James ­McCarthy’s pass to run away from him slightly and Terry came across to snuff out the danger with a ruthless ­challenge.
But just two minutes into the second half it was game over.
John Obi Mikel may be a ­defensive midfielder, but the raking 40-yard pass he played to send Nicolas Anelka free down the right showed real vision.
There was still plenty for Anelka to do as he cut in but, despite the tight angle, he struck an unerring low shot into the far corner before Kirkland could set himself.
Anelka scored again in the 51st minute as Wigan began to collapse again.
Cech raced out from his ­penalty area to launch a punt down field that turned into the perfect pass for Malouda.
The Frenchman advanced before picking out Drogba with a far-post cross and ­although the striker ­misconnected with a volley, it skipped up off the turf for Anelka to nod over the line from point-blank range.
Wigan thought they should have had a penalty when Alex slid in to challenge N’Zogbia and the ball bounced up to brush the Cheslea defender’s arm, but referee Mike Dean was having none of it.
Seconds later, it was N’Zogbia vs Alex again and the outcome was the same, with the centre-back producing a brave block.
And when Boselli did beat Cech, nudging home the ­rebound after McCarthy’s ­deflected shot had come back off a post, his celebration was ended by an offside flag.
Substitute Salomon Kalou scored twice in the last 12 minutes to seal another emphatic win.
His first came in the 78th minute, when he stroked the ball into an empty net after Drogba had powered clear to set him up.
Then he leapt brilliantly to direct Cole’s left-wing cross past Kirkland in the final minute.
There was still time for ­substitute Yossi ­Benayoun to score his first Chelsea goal – a simple side-footed ­effort taken well to open his Blues ­account.