Source: Team_Talk
Four-star Frank inspires Blues romp
Lampard's quartet made him third-highest scorer in the club's history - eclipsing legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood with 151 goals.[LNB]Lampard was assisted by a double from Florent Malouda and another from substitute Salomon Kalou as Carlo Ancelotti's side smashed in 12 goals in four days.[LNB]Chelsea have now scored 82 goals so far this season and apart from John Carew's first-half equaliser, the Blues were in cruise control for long periods.[LNB]The victory put them back in front of Manchester United by two points although Sir Alex Ferguson's side play Bolton in the early evening kick-off.[LNB]Chelsea, who left 30-goal top scorer Didier Drogba on the bench, started brightly enough with Deco finding Nicolas Anelka inside the Villa penalty area in the third minute.[LNB]But the France international, given the task of leading the attack in place of Drogba, shot into the arms of Brad Friedel at his near post.[LNB]Drogba, who scored twice in the 5-0 midweek demolition of Portsmouth, was rested according to the club's assistant coach Ray Wilkins.[LNB]Lampard tried to surprise Friedel in the 14th minute with a low drive from 30 yards but the American goalkeeper was untroubled by the bounce.[LNB]But Chelsea went ahead a minute later when Malouda's low cross was turned home at the far post by Lampard.[LNB]It was the England midfielder's 18th goal of the season in all competitions.[LNB]Villa's Stephen Warnock required treatment to a head injury after a collision with Joe Cole in the 23rd minute.[LNB]Controversy erupted in the 27th minute when John Mikel Obi appeared to elbow James Milner.[LNB]But referee Peter Walton booked Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov for protesting about Mikel's challenge and took no action against the Chelsea midfielder.[LNB]However, Villa were jubilant in the 29th minute when they equalised through Carew.[LNB]He converted a superb curling cross from Ashley Young at the far post to score his ninth goal in eight games.[LNB]Moments later Yury Zhirkov, who was clearly at fault for allowing Carew to ghost into space at the far post for Villa's goal, was booked for a foul Gabriel Agbonlahor.[LNB]Deco followed his Chelsea team-mate in the book moments later for a foul on Milner in the 40th minute.[LNB]But Chelsea restored their lead in the 44th minute through a Lampard penalty.[LNB]Referee Walton adjudged Zhirkov had been fouled by Villa defender James Collins as he burst into the penalty area and Lampard converted the spot-kick with ease.[LNB]Chelsea went 3-1 up in the 57th minute when Malouda finished off a sweeping move by the hosts.[LNB]Deco's clever ball inside the full-back found Zhirkov in space and his cross was met perfectly by Malouda for the France international to score his 12th of the season.[LNB]Chelsea gave away a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the penalty area seconds later when Paulo Ferreira fouled Agbonlahor.[LNB]But Milner's effort was straight into the defensive wall to the dismay of the Villa fans.[LNB]Chelsea made Villa pay in the 62nd minute when Lampard grabbed his hat-trick, and his 20th of the season, with his second penalty of the game.[LNB]Zhirkov was again fouled, this time by Richard Dunne, and Lampard beat Friedel to become the joint third-highest scorer in the club's history.[LNB]It was a game of landmarks for the Blues with John Terry becoming the club's all-time record captain. His 325th appearance eclipsed former great Ron Harris and it was also Terry's 450th outing for the club.[LNB]In the 68th minute, rampant Chelsea made it 5-1 when Ferreira and Lampard combined to set-up Malouda for his second of the game and his 13th of the season.[LNB]In the 82nd minute substitute Kalou sent a curling shot around Friedel's right-hand post but he found the target a minute later when he drilled the ball past Friedel from 18 yards.[LNB]Lampard then made it 7-1 with his fourth of the game in added time as Villa's 10-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt.[LNB]It also made the midfielder the third-highest scorer in the club's history with 151 goals - only Kerry Dixon and Bobby Tambling are now ahead of him.[LNB][LNB]
