Source: PA
Latics get the Blues
Wigan had no answer to Chelsea's goalscoring machine as manager Carlo Ancelotti's side claimed a 6-0 win to make it double figures after just two games in defence of their Barclays Premier League crown.
For the second successive Saturday Chelsea rattled home six, with Nicolas Anelka and substitute Salomon Kalou each bagging a brace, sandwiching one apiece from Florent Malouda and Yossi Benayoun.
The opener was simple, incisive stuff as Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole combined down the left to tee up Frank Lampard for a close-range prod that was brilliantly tipped away by captain Chris Kirkland. But from the rebound Malouda's reactions were too quick for Maynor Figueroa as he was on hand to tap home from a yard out.
Wigan found themselves 3-0 down six minutes after the restart. Two minutes and 29 seconds into the second half Chelsea had doubled their lead courtesy of a crisp, clinical strike from Anelka. He collected a raking ball from Jon-Obi Mikel down the right and strode into the area. He was given just enough time to steady himself before he then unleashed a low right-foot shot beyond Kirkland inside his right-hand post.
Fewer than four minutes later Chelsea were heading back to London with all three points as Anelka scored his second. After chasing a long ball down the left, Malouda chipped in a cross to the far post where Drogba turned the ball back across goal for Anelka to nod home from three yards.
Chelsea, though, were not done and after being on the pitch eight minutes after replacing Malouda, Kalou made it four in the 78th minute. After Mohamed Diame was taken off on a stretcher, Chelsea then rubbed further salt into Wigan's wounds with Kalou making it 5-0 in the 89th minute and another sub in Yossi Benayoun stroking home the sixth in stoppage time.
