Lampard penalty v Sunderland

Lampard fires home for 0-1

Sky Sports dimwit Andy Gray once questioned whether Lionel Messi would “struggle in a cold night at the Britiannia Stadium.”

Well, if that’s the measure of excellence, then Chelsea are all the way back.

Drogba v Sunderland

Drogba disappoints

Because on a cold Tuesday night in the Stadium of Light, Chelsea put the beating on a very good Sunderland team. 4 goals. 15 shots on target. 63% of possession. This was a Chelsea team that played with supreme confidence. Even when down by a goal they were never rattled. The passing was smooth and creative. Chances were created. Dominance was established.

To their credit, and no doubt riding the wave of their shocking 0-3 win at Stamford Bridge in November, Sunderland took the game to Chelsea. Even when the tide was against them they sent 3 men in the box and five forward. The result was a throbbing, exciting, end-to-end first half, before Chelsea’s midfield turned the screws in the second stanza.

Sunderland’s belief gave Chelsea all sorts of problems early on. After just 3 minutes Phillip Bardsley feinted past stranded holding midfielder John Mikel Obi and threaded a beautiful shot into Cech’s far corner. Poor old Obi was the whipping boy on this night. At 25 minutes he conceded a free kick on the other side of the box. The Chelsea wall inexplicably jumped over the ensuing shot and a flat footed Cech could only watch as the ball limped into his near corner.

So, poor defending and worries about Mikel.

But if Mikel gets much of the blame for the goals conceded, he must also get much of the credit for the goals scored. Because his presence allowed Michael Essien to play his natural position further up the field.

And the result was that Essien and Lampard had their best games in months. Both made outstanding passes to create opportunities.

Ashley Cole draws penalty v Sunderland

Ashley Cole draws a penalty

Essien’s lob into Ashley Cole at 14 minutes was so dangerous the fullback was fouled in the box. Lampard calmly booted the penalty into the top left corner, out of Gordon’s reach.

Then it was Lampard’s turn to shine. At 22 minutes he set Anelka free down the middle. The Frenchman found a speeding Kalou to his left. And for once Kalou didn’t waste his chance, toeing a well-placed shot past the onrushing Gordon, who had to leave his penalty box.

Despite Sunderland’s equaliser, after that it was almost all Chelsea.

Anelka v Sunderland

Kalou and Anelka sliced and diced

And in particular, it was almost all Anelka. With newly-acquired Fernando Torres watching, Anelka was the consensus Man of the Match. Often dropping deep into the midfield to take the ball, he made a series of strong runs up the center of the field, putting enormous pressure on Sunderland’s defense.

At 58 minutes it paid off again. Anelka burst up the middle and found, of all people, John Terry. The defender’s shot went wide. But on the ensuing corner, Lampard blasted a shot from the top of the box that Gordon barely parried and Terry (him again!) powered home the rebound.

Fresh-legged substitute Florent Malouda created a safety goal in added time as he simply outran his tired defender and slotted a simple pass to the deserving Anelka, who made a lovely touch to nudge the ball past the keeper.

This was the kind of performance Chelsea fans have waited for weeks to see. And it came with a line-up that had fans fearful. Ramires, who played so well at Everton on the weekend, was on the bench. So too was constant starter Malouda. In their places Mikel was the defensive midfielder and Kalou the attacker.

Essien v Sunderland

Essien constantly threatened

The genius of this line-up is that it freed Essien from the holding role he’d been butchering. Allowed to roam forward more, he was a player transformed. He made dangerous passes and even uncorked a trademark blast at goal. Lampard, who is probably not yet fully fit, disappeared for a long stretch at the end of the first half. But playing with Essien he found space and options early in the first and for almost all the second half. This might have been his best game since coming back.

Only Dider Drogba seemed truly off. While the competition with Torres seemed to inspire Anelka and Kalou, Drogba’s touch was badly off. He was smothered by a Sunderland defense that seemed to key on him. On this night, however, his teammates were able to overcome it.

With Manchester United winning again, the gap to the top remains 10 points. It’s probably insurmountable.

But Chelsea have a lot to look forward to. Two new players, both outstanding, will strengthen the squad beginning this Sunday, at home to Liverpool. Torres will probably get a raucous reception against his old team. Luiz adds welcome depth to a back line that desperately needed it.

The Andy Gray meter says it all. Trip up north? Check. Cold night? Check. Great victory? Check.

Things are looking up.

Lampard celebrates penalty versus Sunderland 2-1-11

Lampard celebrates penalty