Lampard Plunders Four As Chelsea Humiliate Villa

| Monday March 29, 2010 00:00

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. Chelsea were able to rely on him to open the scoring early. When the effervescent Malouda

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. (Guardian)