Chelsea extended their unbeaten start with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in what coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called the Premier League leaders' most important game so far this season.Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka hit first-half goals at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea totally outclassed a Villa side that had lost just once in the league this season.
Villa went into the game in fourth place and confident of a good result after taking four points off Chelsea last season, including a 4-4 draw in west London.
But Chelsea made light of the injury problems that robbed them of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho to dominate their opponents.
"I thought Chelsea were brilliant today,'' Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill said. "Absolutely brilliant. We would have had to have our best players playing at their peak to compete. It was a harsh lesson.
"I really thought this morning that we would win the game.''
Instead, Chelsea are now unbeaten in 86 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge - a run stretching back to February 2004.
Chelsea had already created several chances by the 21st minute when Cole, who later limped off injured, put the home team in front from a slick move involving Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard. Anelka then hit the bar before doubling the advantage from close range in the 43rd minute, following a double save from goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
The win lifted Chelsea to 17 points from seven matches, further raising fans' hopes that last season's failure to win a single trophy will not be repeated. Chelsea will stay top for at least two weeks as the league breaks for World Cup qualifying matches.
Although Liverpool trail only on goal difference after scoring in the last minute to win 3-2 at Manchester City on Sunday, the Blues look well equipped to regain the Premier League title they last won in 2006.
"For me, it is the most important game this season because if we win we are in first position,'' Scolari said. "We now have a minimum 10 days to recuperate our players - the players who are injured and did not play. This is most important thing for us.''
Cole, Malouda, Michael Ballack and Anelka were all on form in an attack so potent that Scolari felt able to withdraw Anelka at halftime because of a minor leg problem.
Scolari said Anelka may only be able to play one of France's two upcoming matches but his rest still represented another boost for Chelsea, wh0 learned Saturday that Drogba's midweek injury may only keep him on the sidelines for a month - far less than initially feared.
But the Blues didn't seem to miss him much Sunday anyway. Villa rarely threatened despite starting with an unchanged lineup for the seventh straight Premier League match.
Chelsea fullback Jose Bosingwa had the first shot of the game blocked in the first minute before Ballack and Malouda each had a swerving shot saved by Friedel.
"He was brilliant,'' O'Neill said. "And we needed him today.''
Cole then just failed to get on the end of a firm cross from Anelka inside the six-yard box and Lampard missed a clear opportunity by heading past the post.
Villa were under sustained pressure and lost possession on the edge of their area, where Malouda gathered the ball and slipped a pass to Lampard. The midfielder played it on to Cole, who let it run across his body before shooting right-footed past Friedel.
More chances came and went before Anelka made it 2-0. Friedel parried a shot from Ballack and couldn't hold the follow up from Anelka, who reached the ball first to hit the rebound past the veteran American goalkeeper.
With Anelka off the field and Cole injured by a lunging challenge from Stilian Petrov - forcing him to be replaced in the 57th by Salomon Kalou - Chelsea still produced some thrilling football even though the players eased off slightly in the second half.
Ballack smashed a chance over the bar and substitute Juliano Belletti missed with an overhead kick as Villa still spent most of the second period pinned inside their own half.
Gabriel Agbonlahor almost had a chance to get a goal back for Villa in the last minute of normal time when John Terry missed a header back to Petr Cech and let the ball bounce, but the Czech Republic goalkeeper still intercepted to preserve the two-goal advantage.
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