By David Ornstein
**Chelsea produced an impressive attacking display to expose Blackburn’s flaws and claim a thumping win which sends them top of the Premier League.**They opened the scoring when Gael Givet diverted Nicolas Anelka’s cross into his own net and Frank Lampard fired home from close range to make it two.
Michael Essien curled in from distance and Lampard slotted a penalty after Ryan Nelson tripped Didier Drogba.
Drogba completed the rout out-jumping Nelson to head in Lampard’s corner.
The win was Chelsea’s biggest over Blackburn and sees them leapfrog Manchester United, who face Liverpool on Sunday.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti will now prepare his side for Wednesday’s visit of Bolton in the Carling Cup and then their trip to the same opponents in the league on Saturday.
Blackburn, 15th in the league, turn their attention to the visit of Peterborough in the Carling Cup and then face a daunting trip to Manchester United on Saturday.
Despite their defeat at Aston Villa last Saturday, Chelsea came into the game off the back a morale-boosting thumping of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and got off to a sprightly start.
After the Atletico game Ancelotti was forced to rush back to Italy to be with his ill father, but the Blues boss arrived back in time to take charge of his side and named four changes from the team which lost at Villa Park.
606: DEBATE
“*[One word for this display - “shocking”. I would understand if we attacked and lost 5-0 but to defend and lose 5-0 is utter ***](http://www.paklinks.com/gs/add url here)”
BigBadBrownie
The most significant alteration saw Joe Cole handed his first Premier League start since January following a cruciate knee ligament injury and the England midfielder was at the heart of Chelsea’s attacking play from the outset.
He should, in fact, have marked his comeback with a goal inside 30 seconds but nodded Lampard’s pass wide from a completely unmarked position.
Lampard himself came tantalisingly close to opening the scoring with a rasping 25-yard drive which sailed just wide of the top right-hand corner.
The omens were not good for Blackburn, who had lost their previous eight away games in the league, were yet to claim a point away from Ewood Park this season and arrived without a goal in their last six matches against Chelsea.
Boss Sam Allardyce, depleted by injuries and the ineligibility of Chelsea loanee Franco di Santo, was forced into making four changes of his own and Rovers lacked a little cohesion and fluidity throughout.
Chelsea put them on the back foot from the outset and, when they did look to counter-attack, lone-striker Jason Roberts was dealt with comfortably by John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
That gave the hosts enough confidence to set up base camp in the Blackburn half and it came as no surprise when they opened the scoring.
Michael Ballack sent Anelka racing down the left wing and the Frenchman’s low centre, aimed for the on-rushing Drogba, was poked into his own net by a sliding Givet.
A succession of chances came Chelsea’s way but they were denied by a combination of their own profligacy and the inspired reflexes of Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson.
The former Tottenham stopper came off his line to expertly foil Anelka before repelling a venomous swerving strike by Drogba and turning away a goalbound Terry volley with a magnificent dive to his right.
In between those chances, Morten Gamst Pedersen drilled wide after neat hold-up play by Roberts and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was relieved to see Essien clear after he came to punch Pedersen’s long throw but completely missed the ball.
Chelsea continued to flood forward at the beginning of the second half and swiftly gained reward for their dominance.
Drogba rolled Martin Olsson and, after Lars Jacobsen failed to deal with his cross from the right, Lampard smashed the ball home from 10 yards to notch his first league goal from open play since April.
Blackburn were firmly on the ropes and five minutes later Essien received possession from Ballack and found the net with a curling shot from 35 yards which Robinson will feel he should have saved.
With Robinson now looking a shadow of the player that repeatedly thwarted Chelsea in the first half, Chelsea began taking shots from all angles and distances.
So perhaps it came as something of a surprise to the Blackburn defence when Drogba attempted to trundle his way towards goal. Ryan Nelson tripped the powerful Ivorian and Lampard wrong-footed Robinson from the spot.
The rout was complete when Drogba outmuscled Nelson and headed Lampard’s corner past a flapping Robinson and, to the crowd’s delight, Terry bravely cleared off the line after Olsson had lobbed Cech.