Frank Lampard scored twice as Chelsea leap-frogged champions Manchester United into top spot in the English Premier League with a 5-0 rout of Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
An own-goal in the 20th minute from French defender Gael Givet, who turned Nicolas Anelka’s cross past goalkeeper Paul Robinson under pressure from Didier Drogba, put the Blues ahead.
England midfielder Lampard scored his first Premier League goal since April when he fired home from Drogba’s pull-back, before Michael Essien wrapped up the points in the 52nd minute when he beat Robinson with a curving shot from fully 35m out.
Lampard scored his second, and Chelsea’s fourth, from the penalty spot after Drogba was brought down seven minutes later by Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen, the New Zealand defender.
The impressive Drogba then added a fifth in the 64th minute as Chelsea made it nine goals in two matches after their midweek 4-0 Champions League defeat of Atletico Madrid.
It was an important result for the Blues after they had lost 2-1 to Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League.
Lampard was especially pleased by the confident return of fellow England international Joe Cole, playing his first Premier League match since suffering a knee injury against Southend United in January.
“He is different class,” Lampard said.
Cole said: “When you’re out for 10 months, just getting back on the training pitch is great, so to come back to a game like that was fantastic.”
Earlier, Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to go level on points with Manchester United after losing 1-0 late on at home to Stoke City.
The match was goalless until four minutes from time when Glenn Whelan, played in by Ricardo Fuller, struck against a home team a man down, with England winger Aaron Lennon off the field after the north Londoners had used all three substitutes.
Lennon took himself off and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said: “We’re not sure what the problem is. He just said he couldn’t carry on and that was that.”
Stoke boss Tony Pulis, once Redknapp’s assistant at Bournemouth, said: “Ricardo’s pulled a genie out of the bottle again. That was terrific and Glenn finished it with aplomb.”
Meanwhile, Colombia’s Hugo Rodallega scored twice as Wigan Athletic came from behind to end Burnley’s 100 percent home record this term in a 3-1 win.
Burnley took an early lead at Turf Moor when Steven Fletcher turned in Robbie Blake’s cross in the fourth minute, but Wigan equalized in bizarre fashion seven minutes later when Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen slipped as he came for a Mario Melchiot cross, allowing Rodallega to shoot into the unguarded net.
Jensen went off injured moments later.
Rodallega then made it 2-1 when he turned in Jason Scotland’s 51st-minute cross, before Emmerson Boyce scored from a corner.
At St Andrews, in Birmingham City’s first home game since Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung bought the club, City went ahead against Sunderland eight minutes before halftime when Liam Ridgewell got on the end of a Sebastian Larsson free-kick.
Soon after the break, Scotland striker James McFadden doubled Birmingham’s lead following good work by Larsson, but Sunderland gave themselves a lifeline when Birmingham’s Scott Dann put through his own net eight minutes from time.
At the bottom of the table, Portsmouth were held to a goalless draw by fellow strugglers Hull City.
In a dire opening half at the KC Stadium, Portsmouth’s Tommy Smith squandered a couple of chances for the visitors. After halftime, Pompey’s Aruna Dindane and Hassan Yebda were both denied by Hull keeper Boaz Myhill.
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