The Times
October 6, 2008

Aston Villa victims of blue murder
Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0

Martin Samuel

The scoreline suggests respectability, but the actuality was
different. This was as comprehensive as any victory by such a
conventional margin could be. A 2-0 marmalising, a 2-0 whitewash, a
2-0 knockout and then some. If Chelsea did not push on to record their
biggest win under Luiz Felipe Scolari, it was only because so
comprehensive was their superiority in the first half that the second
was played as a glorified training exercise.

Aston Villa's only threat came as a result of an unusually hesitant
display by John Terry at centre back, which may have been caused by a
nagging back injury or anxiety at his latest defensive partner, the
unconvincing Branislav Ivanovic.

Either way, Chelsea defined the match at each end yesterday. Left to
their own devices, Villa would have been anonymous. Bad news for
Gareth Barry and the World Cup hopefuls Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley
Young in front of Fabio Capello, the England manager; good news for
Frank Lampard, who turned in one of the great individual performances
of the season to end any debate over who should be at the centre of
the midfield action for the national team.

Lampard was exceptional, the driving force behind all that was good
about Chelsea, the architect of the first goal and the frustrated
creator of near-misses that stretched into double figures. He has
grown stronger, as ever, with each passing week of the season, but
this was another level. It reminded of the form that made him
Footballer of the Year in 2005 and if Chelsea deliver on this early
promise and he maintains this standard of performance, he will be a
contender again. There were strong displays peppered throughout the
Chelsea lineup, but Lampard was the star.

It is to the credit of Scolari that from the moment he arrived, he
made it his mission to stop Lampard's move to Inter Milan. Scolari
plays the diplomat, insisting that transfer policy is a boardroom
decision, not the sole preserve of the manager, but there is no doubt
that the desire to keep Lampard intensified the moment he walked
through the door. He knew what Chelsea had in Lampard and if he did
not, one look at the statistics would have told him.

So outstanding were Chelsea in the first half yesterday that Lampard
spent the last 15 minutes playing as a surrogate support striker.
Usually diligent, he decided, correctly, that Villa posed no threat
and began lurking in the space behind Nicolas Anelka. With José
Bosingwa and Ashley Cole – who is hitting the heights of his Arsenal
form – pushing up on the flanks and Michael Ballack striding
imperiously through the centre, Villa could not get out of their half.

Even if they were unfortunate to run into Chelsea on such a good day,
this demonstrated how far Villa have to go if they are to pose a
threat to the Champions League elite. There was no shame in losing,
but to be so comprehensively outplayed raises some awkward questions.

So plentiful were Chelsea's chances that they fall into individual
categories: five brought saves from Brad Friedel, the sole performer
of worth in the Villa team, three went narrowly wide, one hit the bar,
two went just over the bar and one missed the outstretched boot of
Florent Malouda at the far post by inches. It would not have flattered
Chelsea had they led by eight at half-time and had a world-class
forward in the form of Didier Drogba been playing, it could have been
embarrassing for Villa.

They will have been thankful for the presence of Anelka, who appeared
on the scoresheet because of the sheer weight of chances created. It
should have been impossible for a striker not to have scored
yesterday, although Franco Di Santo, the half-time replacement when
Anelka suffered a muscle spasm, managed it.

Chelsea's two goals had wrapped the match up by the time Di Santo
appeared, however. Indeed, there seemed little way back for Villa
after Joe Cole opened the scoring in the 21st minute. It was Malouda,
surging into the Villa penalty area, whose momentum created the
opening but Lampard whose vision sealed it. He made an exquisite pass
to Joe Cole, steering the ball around Anelka and taking Villa's back
line out of the game, and his England teammate left Friedel no chance.
Cole suffered an ankle injury in the second half and departed in pain,
but Scolari said that he will be available to play for England with
three days' rest, although whether he gets the nod ahead of Steven
Gerrard is another matter.

The second goal showed the value of persistence after Ashley Cole's
cross from the left had found Ballack, only for Friedel to save at
close range. Anelka had another go, but Friedel was equal to this,
too. The ball returning to Anelka's feet, he was third time lucky.
After that, Villa made a first inroad into the Chelsea penalty area
through John Carew, but it was too late for a revival.

The "what might have been" round-up for Chelsea runs as follows. Saves
by Friedel from Ballack (4min), a free kick by Lampard (28min),
Malouda (32min), a header by Salomon Kalou (68min) and Lampard again
(83min). A header wide from Lampard (17min). Shots wide from Anelka
one on one (10min) and Lampard (88min). Anelka's shot against the bar
(25min). A cross by Lampard that eluded Malouda by a bootlace (57min)
and miscellaneous chances over the bar, one from Ballack after a
goalmouth scramble (63min), another deflected over by Martin Laursen
from Kalou a minute later.

Villa had a couple of harum-scarum opportunities, but little to
compare. Petr Cech cleared from Agbonlahor in the final significant
move of the match and Agbonlahor steered his pass wide of Carew from a
tight angle on the one occasion when Cech appeared beaten.

Martin O'Neill, the Villa manager, admonished himself after the match
for even half-dreaming of defeating Chelsea. On this form, he will not
be the only one needing to scale down ambitions this season.

Chelsea ratings (4-3-3)

P Cech 6 J Bosingwa 7 B Ivanovic 5 J Terry 5 A Cole 8 M Ballack 8 J O
Mikel 6 F Lampard 9 J Cole 7 N Anelka 7 F Malouda 7 Substitutes F Di
Santo 5 (for Anelka, 46min), S Kalou 6 (for J Cole, 57), J Belletti
(for Malouda, 81). Not used Hilário, W Bridge, P Ferreira, M
Mancienne.

Aston Villa ratings (4-4-1-1)

B Friedel 6 L Young 5 C Davies 5 M Laursen 5 N Shorey 5 N Reo-Coker 5
S Petrov 5 G Barry 5 A Young 5 G Agbonlahor 5 J Carew 5 Substitutes C
Cuéllar 5 (for Davies, 46), J Milner 5 (for L Young, 46) M Harewood
(for Carew, 71). Not used B Guzan, Z Knight, M Salifou, C Gardner.

Referee C Foy Attendance 41,593

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------------


Telegraph:

Slick Chelsea bring Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa down to earth at
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (2) 2 Aston Villa (0) 0

By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge

Martin O'Neill had arrived at the home of the Premier League
pace-setters, believing his vibrant Aston Villa could actually win.
After this chastening defeat, O'Neill admitted feeling "daft'' at
having the temerity even to dream that Chelsea might slip up.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side were a mix of the beautiful and the
ruthless, combining sweeping attacks with a hunger for strangling the
life out of the visitors. Villa had not been this outclassed since
running into a rampant Manchester United last March. The only travesty
was that the scoreline did not reflect the brilliance of Frank
Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Joe Cole.

Awkward assignments lurk on the horizon for Chelsea, from old foe in
Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Oct 26 to the gloriously unexpected in
Hull City at the KC Stadium on Oct 29, but the Premier League table
makes enjoyable reading for Scolari's side, although they will be
aware of the pounding hooves of Sir Alex Ferguson's thoroughbreds.

O'Neill rightly pointed out that there was still four-fifths of the
season to go. He gave respectful name-checks to United, Liverpool and
Arsenal, reminded everyone that fortunes can change like a
weather-vane in a hurricane, but he was clearly in awe of Chelsea.

"They were brilliant,'' reflected O'Neill. "It was a harsh lesson for
us. This is where we want to be, this is what we aspire to. We were on
a crest of a wave. This morning I thought we could win, which shows
I'm daft. Chelsea would have beaten some of the best teams in Europe
today.''

Invited to go into specifics on why Chelsea are so good, O'Neill began
by hailing their new leader. "Scolari's a brilliant manager,'' said
O'Neill. "He has inherited a great team here, and put his own stamp on
it, and that is remarkable.''

Asked again to cast his experienced professional eye on the exact
nature of the Scolari "stamp'', O'Neill lauded the Brazilian's
full-backs.

Under Avram Grant and particularly Jose Mourinho, the marauding
instincts of individuals like Ashley Cole were not encouraged. Now,
Cole and the newcomer, Jose Bosingwa, are urged to overlap.

"He's got Ashley Cole back to his very best with a licence to go
forward,'' observed O'Neill. "He's pretty comfortable about going
forward because if he plays the ball inside, with their midfield he
knows they will play it back on for him. Bosingwa gives them another
option going forward.''

Scolari's full-backs spent most of the game as auxiliary wingers such
was Chelsea's dominance. From back to front, the hosts were a class
apart. If the Matthew Harding Stand were slightly cruel in belittling
Villa's ambitions – "Champions League?'' they cackled, "you're having
a laugh!'' – there can be no question of Chelsea's superiority.

O'Neill highlighted one of Chelsea's myriad strengths when he noted
"their ability to withstand injuries'' because of the quality of their
squad. Branislav Ivanovic was threatening to become a quiz question at
the Bridge – had anyone seen him? – yet he slotted in impressively
alongside John Terry in the absence of Ricardo Carvalho and Alex. On
the rare occasions that Villa ventured into the final third, the Serb
nimbly dispossessed John Carew.

Otherwise, there was little to occupy Ivanovic. When the electronic
hoardings began flashing up an exhortation to "Take The Tour of
Stamford Bridge'', Chelsea's back four could have signed up en masse.
They were hardly needed. Mikel had everything under control, the
Nigerian breaking up Villa's few attacks before they could build up
anything approaching steam.

In front of Mikel, Lampard delivered an even greater display, gliding
forward time after time, turning away from tacklers to unleash shot or
slide team-mates through. He was involved in both goals, would have
scored but for Brad Friedel's reflexes, and was feted by both managers
afterwards. "Lampard played very, very well – two times I will say
'very','' enthused Scolari. "Absolutely outstanding,'' was O'Neill's
verdict.

The ritual Lampard versus Steven Gerrard debate will resume this week
as the best two central midfielders in the land report for England
duty. Gerrard has been exceptional for Liverpool of late, and Lampard
was at the very top of his game yesterday, giving Gareth Barry a
masterclass in midfield movement.

After Friedel had thwarted Michael Ballack and Florent Malouda,
Lampard took control, helping create Chelsea's 21st-minute opener.
When Malouda cut the ball back to Lampard, the midfielder was the
picture of composure on the edge of the box. Spotting the darting Joe
Cole, Lampard placed the ball perfectly, his pass eluding Barry and
reaching Cole, who fired it confidently past Friedel.

Chelsea fans had so much to celebrate, from Cole's strike, to news of
Spurs going behind to Hull to Nicolas Anelka ghosting away from Curtis
Davies and hitting the bar. Chelsea continued to roll in blue waves
towards Friedel's goal. The American punched away a Lampard free-kick,
and then saved from Malouda, but had no chance when Chelsea came
calling again with a minute of the first half remaining.

Again Lampard was involved, linking with Malouda to release Ashley
Cole down the left. The defender's pass found Ballack and the goal
opened up. With Villa's defenders absent without leave, Friedel saved
at close range from Ballack and Anelka's follow-up but was stranded as
Anelka made certain with his second attempt.

Chelsea had finished scoring, but had not finished impressing. Lampard
kept going close, a reminder of the team's ethos of technical
excellence with unremitting commitment.

Another sign of their strength in depth arrived in the busy form of
Franco di Santo, who replaced Anelka after the Frenchman felt a slight
pain in his leg (although he will be fit for the resumption of Chelsea
duties after the international break).

Di Santo's touch, movement and enterprise, if not his shooting, were a
constant, and confirmation of what Chelsea insiders have been
whispering for some time, that the Argentinian is a talent to watch.
So are Scolari's Chelsea, a winning mixture of steel and elan.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------


Independent:

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0: Cole-fired Chelsea turn on the style

Scolari's walking wounded shrug off aches and pains to put up most
perfect display of the Abramovich era.
Jason Burt sees the new 'untouchables' live up to their name

Injury is Chelsea's only opponent right now. A damaged ankle for Joe
Cole, only just returned from the casualty list, and sore backs for
John Terry and Ashley Cole have more resonance for England this week.
But together with Nicolas Anelka being withdrawn at half-time with a
leg problem and the lengthy roll call of absentees that has already
depleted Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad, these are testing times for the
manager. Not that it appeared so yesterday. A 10th game unbeaten for
Scolari and a perfect 10 at that.

For the first half this was, maybe, the best Chelsea have played in
the Roman Abramovich era. It was that good, at times simply
sensational, with Frank Lampard in the kind of imperious, threatening,
relentless form that sets an awesome benchmark. "Very, very well,"
said Scolari when asked how he felt the midfielder had played. "And
that's not just one very." The second 45 minutes was, in a sense,
equally formidable as Chelsea barely allowed Villa – previously
vibrant, dangerous Villa – a sniff.

Scolari had talked about not having the "untouchables" of Jose
Mourinho's squad – players who are too important to be dropped – but
there were 14 untouchables yesterday. This was supposed to be the
match – with Deco, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, Didier Drogba out
and with Alex suffering a late recurrence of his injury – that would
test to the max Chelsea's ability to hold on to that fabled 85-game
home unbeaten record. It wasn't anything of the kind.

Indeed Martin O'Neill, Villa's manager, admitted that he had awoken
yesterday morning "really believing" his team would win, only for that
hope to be smashed to pieces. "They were absolutely brilliant,"
O'Neill said of Chelsea. "Absolutely brilliant. We would have had to
have our best players play at their best just to compete, never mind
anything else."

Scolari's post-match comments took on the look of a medical bulletin.
"For me it was the most important game in the season so far," he said
of the performance, the result and the aftermath of which have left
his team top of the league going into the international break. "We are
in first position and we have 10 days to recuperate our players."
There was then the rundown and some good news: Terry and Joe Cole, he
felt, would be ready with "three days' rest".

Chelsea came out all guns blazing. And it was like shooting fish in a
barrel. In the Villa goal, Brad Friedel was a startled, shell-shocked
figure beating out powerful shots from Michael Ballack and the
impressive Florent Malouda before Lampard, from close range, headed
into the side-netting following clever work from Anelka, who later
crashed a shot against the crossbar.

Chelsea surged ahead. Malouda, again, sped down the left, picked out
Lampard and, on the area's edge he cleverly waited for Joe Cole's run
before slipping the ball into his path. One touch and Cole, back in
the team after an absence of three games injured, hammered his shot
high into the net to reward a blistering, mesmeric opening quarter.
They didn't relent. A Lampard free-kick had Friedel scrambling before
the American saved from Malouda. Another goal was inevitable and once
more Lampard was instrumental, scampering down the left to create
space and find the overlapping Ashley Cole, whose cutback was met by
Ballack. Friedel pushed out the first side-footed effort, and Anelka's
follow-up before the striker finally buried the chance.

Anelka departed at half-time and then Joe Cole, after a hefty
challenge from Stilian Petrov, limped off before Terry's back began to
cause him problems. It broke up Chelsea's momentum while O'Neill made
changes of his own and, finally, there was a chink. Terry, clearly
troubled, erred and his header back to Petr Cech fell short, allowing
Gabriel Agbonlahor to nip in. With the goalkeeper stranded he crossed
for John Carew, but with the goal empty, the ball was too far in front
of the striker.

Friedel managed to keep out another Ballack shot while Lampard's
whipped cross bounced just ahead of Malouda's outstretched leg before
only Carlos Cuellar's fortuitous intervention stopped the winger as he
latched on to another pass from Lampard. A desperate tackle from James
Milner then prevented Lampard while a header from Salomon Kalou was
somehow fumbled over by Friedel.

"I think that was the best they have played," O'Neill said of the
hosts. And he was right, which was extraordinary testimony to Chelsea
and their world-class manager.

Goals: J Cole (21) 1-0; Anelka (44) 2-0.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, A Cole; Mikel; J
Cole (Kalou, 57), Lampard, Ballack, Malouda (Belletti, 83); Anelka (Di
Santo, 46). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Bridge, Ferreira,
Mancienne.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Friedel; L Young (Milner, h-t), Laursen, Davies
(Cuellar, h-t), Shorey; Reo-Coker, Petrov, Barry, A Young; Agbonlahor,
Carew (Harewood, 72). Substitutes not used: Guzan (gk), Knight,
Salifou, Gardner.

Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).

Booked: Aston Villa Cuellar, Petrov, Shorey.

Man of the match: Lampard.

Attendance: 41,593.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------
Guardian:

Dazzling Chelsea make mockery of injury concerns

Chelsea 2 Cole, J 21, Anelka 44 Aston Villa 0

Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea seemed a team apart yesterday, even if Liverpool's comeback at
Manchester City means they still have company at the head of the
Premier League. It took a keen eye to note that players of Ricardo
Carvalho and Deco's status were missing, because Luiz Felipe Scolari's
side performed as if they lacked nothing whatsoever. The zest of the
line-up is the most important factor of all.

These are people blinking in delight at everything life suddenly has
to offer. Ashley Cole exemplified that. He has learned well at
Stamford Bridge how to be a resourceful defender but now the verve of
his youth at Arsenal has returned and is in spate. It swept away these
visitors.

Cole's key part in the second goal typified that. With fluent
interchanging, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard sent him to the
byline in the 44th minute. His concentration was intense as he focused
on steering the cutback acutely. It ran perfectly to Michael Ballack.
Brad Friedel saved from the German and then Nicolas Anelka, but the
France striker eventually got a finish into the net.

Chelsea, in theory, lack forwards and, in the absence of Didier
Drogba, Anelka is the only seasoned player for that position. That
seemed not to matter. It eggs Scolari's men on to set whirling moves
in motion from the centre of the pitch. Without outstanding work by
Friedel the score would have been a reliable measure of the crushing
victory that actually occurred.

Villa have been coming on nicely and tests of this severity would make
most sides look like abject failures. Martin O'Neill, however, will
ponder the evidence. He has picked the same starting line-up in every
Premier League fixture to date but the selection process will not be
made automatically next time around.

The centre-back Curtis Davies was taken off at half-time, having been
put in difficulties when he felt obliged to come out of the defence.
He could not count on cover from the midfielders despite the fact that
O'Neill, pulling Gabriel Agbonlahor on to the right long before the
interval, had stationed five men in that area.

It was much too simple for Chelsea to identify openings. After 21
minutes, Malouda and Lampard had only to work the ball from left to
right for the opener, with Joe Cole clear to belt a finish beyond
Friedel. From Villa's perspective there must be exasperation that
their entire side had been dragged toward the Chelsea left.

If the visitors had hope it lay in the fact that their opponents'
minds eventually began to wander. John Terry perpetrated two weak
headers in the vague direction of Petr Cech that might not be repeated
over the course of this campaign and, perhaps, a few others.

In the 61st minute Agbonlahor got to the ball ahead of the goalkeeper
but Cech blocked and, when the Villa attacker then chipped a cross,
John Carew was not in position to head into an unguarded net. With the
match in stoppage-time, Terry was again careless but Cech was fast
enough to beat Agbonlahor to the ball.

Chelsea will mostly be scolding themselves for leniency. The openings
mounted up yet they were usually squandered or dealt with by Friedel.
Exasperation would have been stifled in the home support since they
were having too much fun soaking up the imagination and movement of
their team.

The suspected fragility of Chelsea was an illusion. With Carvalho
absent and his deputy Alex also unfit, Scolari was forced to turn to
Branislav Ivanovic. Although he cost £9m from Lokomotiv Moscow in
January, this was the Serb's debut in the Premier League. Any regrets
will lie in the lack of situations where he could show his prowess.

Scolari, in some respects, experienced concern. Anelka has a leg
injury yet he was involved heavily before being taken off at
half-time. The introduction of the Argentinian Franco Di Santo simply
granted the teenager the prospect of furthering his development in a
stress-free environment. Chelsea are also savouring a little luck.
Anelka and, for that matter, Joe Cole will get over their knocks on
their countries' time. Scolari's side are not in action again until
they go to the Riverside on October 18. Middlesbrough have the verve
and youth to be dangerous, but the outcome is of less interest than
the fact that Chelsea might confirm that they are now entertainers.

It would be unjust not to say that there were sparkling moments under
Jose Mourinho but many were in the autumn of 2004 when Arjen Robben
was at peak fitness. Gradually it was the manager's pragmatism and
strategic intelligence which came to the fore. The club can be
grateful for trophies that were the fruit of that.

Scolari, with his authority, is Mourinho's true successor, after the
interregnum of Avram Grant, and that period of relative failure works
to his advantage. This is a new start as Chelsea, by different means,
strive to regain the Premier League title. Sir Alex Ferguson was
correct in his observation that there is a seasoned squad at Stamford
Bridge. In common with the rest of us, the Manchester United manager
erred solely in his assumption that Scolari could not rejuvenate their
minds.

Man of the match: Ashley Cole

The full-backs are now an important source of dynamism for Chelsea and
Cole is revelling in the freedom he enjoys

Best moment The determined run which ended with a meticulous cutback
that paved a way for Nicolas Anelka to score Chelsea's second goal

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------


Mail:

Scolari's new ruling class: O'Neill put in his place by aristocrats
By Neil Ashton

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0

Billboards boldly claimed it was The Brazilian against The Great
Briton. First v Fourth. The Unbeatables against the New Beginning. In
the end, it was Men against Boys.

Chelsea's League of Nations, pulled together from seven different
countries, played with ingenuity and inspiration against Aston Villa
by binding together into one tight, title-winning unit.

It was electrifying. It could have been five by half-time and 10 by
the final whistle. In the end, Luiz Felipe Scolari's irrepressible
side settled for two.

More like too easy. Martin O'Neill's team are a red herring in this
title race, an also-ran after just seven games. 'Chelsea were
brilliant,' conceded the Villa manager.

'That's probably the best they've played this season, but I really
thought we would beat them. It shows how daft I am.'

Deluded more like. Try to stop this Chelsea team, just try. Liverpool
will fancy their chances, especially after Fernando Torres and Dirk
Kuyt stirred into action at Eastlands, but Chelsea are flying.

Rafa Benitez can bring them back down to earth in two weeks when his
Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge hoping to become the first team since
Arsenal, as distant as February 2004, to beat them on their own ground
in the Barclays Premier League.

Good luck. Pick a player, any player, from this Chelsea team. John
Terry? Colossus. Joe Cole? Captivating. Frank Lampard? Imperious.

'Lampard was outstanding, ' admitted O'Neill. 'He was very, very
good,' added Scolari.

The best player on the pitch is playing the best football of his
career. Three Englishmen, head and shoulders above any of their seven
countrymen representing Villa, ran this show.

Joe Cole scored the opening goal, a strike that Stamford Bridge had to
wait all of 21 minutes for, latching on to Lampard's pass and burying
his effort beyond Brad Friedel.

Pity the Aston Villa keeper, the one-man human blockade who prevented
Chelsea threatening to eclipse their record league victory, a 9-2
annihilation of Glossop in 1906. Seriously, it would have been close.

O'Neill will be alarmed, surprised just how easily his defence - if
you can call it that - buckled under the relentless pressure.

Chelsea have added another threat to their football this season,
releasing Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa down the wings at every
opportunity and giving them licence to drop their bombs.

Villa had no answer, dragging off Luke Young (abysmal) and Curtis
Davies (ditto) at the break.

It may be some time before O'Neill has the confidence to play them in
the same team again. 'I'm very satisfied,' declared Scolari. 'For me,
this was the most important game of the season because it means we go
into the international break first in the Premier League, first in the
group in the Champions League and in the next round of the Carling
Cup.

'It also means our players will have an extra 10 days to recover
before we next play, at Middlesbrough.'

Just look at what this team have in reserve: Ricardo Carvalho, Deco
and Didier Drogba are all recovering from medium-term injuries.

Chelsea mesmerised 41,593 spectators (five more if you include their
own defence) with a heady brew of fabulous football.

They scored their second just before the break when Anelka,
substituted at half-time with a leg injury, followed up Michael
Ballack's close-range shot. Anelka is quietly but regularly knocking
in goals in the Premier League (four so far) and reminding the
doubters that he is a world-class talent.

They are liberally sprinkled throughout this side, the partnerships
all over the pitch that can tear teams apart: Ballack and Lampard,
Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda, Bosingwa and Joe Cole.

Heavy artillery is everywhere. 'Scolari has inherited a great team,
but he has also put his own stamp on them and that is remarkable,'
added O'Neill.

'You have to remember what he has achieved in the game. He won a World
Cup with Brazil, where the expectations are always high. Scolari is a
brilliant manager, right at the very top.

'This was a harsh lesson, but there is no point in us playing if we're
not going to aspire to be at Chelsea's level. We caught them at a bad
time.' No kidding. This was Chelsea at their very best.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------

Express:

FRANK THE GREAT REPELS INVADERS

By Tony Banks

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0

THOSE rumours about the imminent fall of the fortress of Stamford
Bridge will have to be put on hold. The challengers arrived swords
drawn and with bugles blaring yesterday, only to be blown away by a
response as brutal as it was terrifying.

The gulf between those at the very top and the aspirants to their
throne was never more clearly illustrated than in this horribly
clinical destruction by Chelsea of an Aston Villa side full of
pretensions, but without the class to topple these particular
ramparts.

Because standing tall on them was Frank Lampard, an immense leader of
men who was never going to allow anything other than a victory.

The England midfielder, for so long the subject of vacuous criticism
from the pundits and terraces, has been steadily winning over his
critics for both club and country. But none, not even his heroic
performance in the Champions League semi-final win against Liverpool
last season so soon after the death of his mother, was better than
this.

It was not just Lampard. Perhaps stung by Villa's bragging that they
were coming to end their 85-match unbeaten home run, Chelsea were
faultless as a unit.

Right from the kick-off their sheer intent was obvious. They played
with a venom and a purpose that overwhelmed Villa. It may have been
first against fourth, but the gulf was much larger.

In the end, the margin of defeat for Martin O'Neill's men was only two
goals, but everyone knew that was a mere statistic.

Chelsea, with their best performance yet under Luiz Felipe Scolari,
set out their stall as potential champions of England again. On this
kind of form it is difficult to see any side, even Manchester United,
stopping them.

The only potential fly in the ointment is the mounting toll of
injuries. But as Scolari pointed out afterwards, with the
international break there is now a fortnight to patch up the walking
wounded.

Lampard was at the fulcrum of everything. His passing was incisive,
his running penetrative and intelligent, his power unstoppable. Gareth
Barry opposite was trampled underfoot. It was men against boys all
over the pitch.

The battering began from the off with Michael Ballack's shot which was
tipped away by the heroic Brad Friedel.

Florent Malouda and Lampard both went close, but the breakthrough came
in the 21st minute with another incisive passing move that cut Villa
apart.

Malouda fed Lampard, and the ball was whisked on to Joe Cole, who
lashed it high into the net. Nicolas Anelka then clipped the bar, but
the second goal came on the stroke of half-time.

Lampard played in Ashley Cole and Ballack met his low cross with a
full-blooded shot that Friedel somehow stopped. The American pulled
off another miracle as he denied Anelka from the rebound, but again he
could not hold on to the ball, and this time the Frenchman made no
mistake.

Chelsea suffered a blow then as Anelka, doubtful before the game with
a muscle problem, had to go off. Skipper John Terry, another of the
limping from their bruising midweek Champions League draw in Cluj,
also had to have treatment on the back problem he aggravated in that
game. Typically he battled on, but the colossus was clearly
struggling.

There was no respite for Joe Cole, back after a three -game absence
with a hip problem.

Hit by a thudding tackle by Stiliyan Petrov, he too limped off, and
was forced out of the England squad.

Villa, as they needed to, fought their way back as Chelsea began to
run out of fit bodies. John Carew shot straight at Petr Cech, and
Gabriel Agbonlahor should have done much better than loft the ball
across the face of goal. As a response, though, it barely registered.

For every Villa thrust there was a rapier retort, usually inspired by
the peerless Lampard.

Ballack stung Friedel's fingertips with a piledriver, Lampard himself
shot low across the face of goal, saw the goalkeeper fumble his shot
round a post, cracked a low drive inches wide and, in the final
minute, sent a free-kick whistling over the bar.

At the end it was like a casualty station in the pouring rain, but
Chelsea's class had glittered through the gloom with menacing
brilliance. If they can only keep the thin blue line fit and intact,
the marker has been set for the rest of the Premier League.

CHELSEA (4-1-4-1): Cech 7; Bosingwa 7, Ivanovic 7, Terry 7, A Cole 7;
Mikel 7; J Cole 7 (Kalou 57, 6), Ballack 7, Lampard 8, Malouda 8
(Belletti 82); Anelka 7 (Di Santo 46, 6). Goals: J Cole 21, Anelka 44.

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Friedel 7; L Young 5 (Milner 46, 6), Davis 5
(Cuellar 46, 6), Laursen 6, Shorey 5; Reo-Coker 6, Petrov 5, Barry 5,
A Young 6; Carew 6 (Harewood 72, 6), Agbonlahor 6. Booked: Cuellar,
Petrov, Shorey.

Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------


Sun:

Chelsea 2 Villa 0

By SHAUN CUSTIS

THIS was supposed to be the day Chelsea came unstuck.

After 85 Premier League home games without defeat, Villa were coming
to get them.

Martin O'Neill's men were, apparently, an emerging force with
pretensions to break the monopoly on the top four and had not lost to
Chelsea in their previous five league meetings.

Add to that the fact big names Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Deco
and Michael Essien were all missing from Big Phil Scolari's line-up
and we were brainwashed into believing Chelsea would do well to escape
with a draw.

But Frank Lampard turned in one of the greatest performances of his
glittering Chelsea career in front of England boss Fabio Capello and
Villa went whimpering back to the Midlands with their balloon well and
truly pricked.

Those tipped for future stardom such as Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley
Young barely got a kick and were given a harsh lesson.

Meanwhile, Gareth Barry — Lampard's midfield partner in England's
victory over Croatia last month — was completely outclassed by his
international pal.

Chelsea fans taunted: "Champions League you're having a laugh." And
you wonder if they might be right.

Yet this was as much about Chelsea's brilliance as Villa's ineptitude.

Many a team has come to Stamford Bridge and lost but few have been so
comprehensively battered as Villa were in the first half.

This was a Chelsea we never saw in the days of Jose Mourinho. This was
football with bite and swagger.

Villa were like a bunch of schoolkids playing against the big lads,
hacking it clear then catching their breath just in time for the next
attack.

Their keeper Brad Friedel was the busiest man on the field.

"Thank goodness we had him or it could have been a lot worse," said
O'Neill — who also hailed Lampard as "absolutely brilliant."

O'Neill added: "When I woke up I thought we were going to win. How daft am I?"

Very daft as it turned out. But even Chelsea would not have expected
to be this good.

Big Phil has not smiled so much since he won the World Cup.

He said: "I'm very satisfied, we played very well."

From the moment Friedel turned away Michael Ballack's screaming
25-yard drive, it was clear the home side were in the zone.

Florent Malouda, flourishing under Scolari, tested Friedel as well and
Lampard's only blemish on his afternoon came when he planted a
close-range header just wide.

But he does not let that sort of thing get him down. And in the 21st
minute he was instrumental in Chelsea's opening goal, steering
Malouda's cross on to Joe Cole who smashed the ball high into the net
leaving even Friedel helpless.

Nicolas Anelka followed up with a 25-yarder against the bar which
Friedel might just have got a fingernail to. And Lampard gave the
keeper more work with a stinging shot.

Friedel was like a punch drunk boxer reeling against the ropes as he
hung on to Malouda's strike.

Even when Villa threatened to break towards the half-way line Joe Cole
made two tackles on Agbonlahor to win the ball. It was another lesson
in commitment for the Villa youngster.

Two minutes before half-time, Chelsea bagged the second they more than
deserved — although Friedel did everything possible to keep it out,
saving from both Ballack and Anelka before the Frenchman slammed in
the loose ball.

Chelsea lost Anelka to injury at the break and Joe Cole also limped
off early in the second half after a heavy tackle by Stiliyan Petrov.

That put the brakes on the machine somewhat.

Villa actually conjured up a chance as Agbonlahor got in between John
Terry's back header and keeper Petr Cech but his cross was just out of
John Carew's reach.

Ballack somehow blazed over from close in and Friedel made two more
saves to deny Lampard.

How the Englishman did not score was a mystery in itself.

We are coming into the week when the old Lampard-Steven Gerrard debate
rears its head again with the Liverpool skipper fit and two World Cup
qualifiers ahead.

First name on the teamsheet for the centre of England's midfield right
now has to be Lampard.

Barry will be hoping he keeps his place as Lamps' partner but this did
not do him any favours.

And if he is ever to play Champions League football, it would seem he
needs that transfer away from Villa Park.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------


Mirror:

still in bed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------