Chelsea send out ominous message

SOCCER PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea 3 Birmingham City 0:BEATING BIRMINGHAM City in a Premier League match never used to constitute a statement of intent but, with this victory, Chelsea sent out a message to their title rivals. Carlo Ancelotti's side returned to the top of the last night, edging ahead of Manchester United and Arsenal, having barely broken sweat against the top-flight's form team.

Chelsea’s 35th successive unbeaten game at Stamford Bridge ended Birmingham’s 15-match undefeated run in some style. The home support’s only complaint was that, even at 3-0, the scoreline hardly reflected their side’s utter dominance, with Petr Cech redundant until Keith Fahey forced him into a fine save 13 minutes from time.

There had been such assurance to Birmingham’s play since they embarked on that remarkable sequence and Ancelotti had pointed to a need to move the ball quickly and accurately, dragging opponents from their comfort zone in pursuit of possession, and his game-plan was reliant on the width provided by Florent Malouda and Joe Cole on either flank. As it turned out, Chelsea’s attacking play was as exhilarating as it had been in the recent 7-2 demolition of Sunderland.

Chelsea were a blur of subtle short passing as they advanced into the attacking third, and when pressed expertly moved the ball long to switch the play. This Chelsea team used to rely heavily on Michael Essien’s dynamism to drive them forward. The Ghanaian will travel to Paris later this week to undergo exploratory surgery on the left knee damaged while training with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations – the club do not expect their initial prognosis of a six-week lay-off to change – but, in his absence, others are supplying the energy. Malouda has flourished since his dismissal at St Andrew’s in December and Joe Cole is steadily rediscovering his effervescent best.

Ancelotti had urged him to “show more quality on the ball” on this occasion. The Italian will have been satisfied to see the England international accelerating away from Lee Bowyer and beyond Scott Dann after five minutes before crafting an inviting cross that Malouda, peeling away from Stephen Carr, planted beyond the exposed Joe Hart.

Ricardo Carvalho’s header from the Malouda’s corner might have doubled that lead only for Barry Ferguson to scramble his attempt from the line, but the second goal duly arrived from from an obvious source. Frank Lampard cushioned Michael Ballack’s pass some 20 yards out before hitting a wonderfully precise shot that skimmed beyond the sprawling Hart, uncharacteristically slow to react, and into the far corner.

That was the midfielder’s 12th goal of another productive campaign and he should have been joined on the scoresheet by Ballack, the German first arriving at the far post to meet Ashley Cole’s cross only for Hart to claim his header and then steering a shot just wide of the top corner. In this expansive form, Chelsea are irresistible and Birmingham were straining to disrupt their rhythm.

Fahey replaced Cameron Jerome, whose deflected effort had represented the visitors’ only worthwhile attempt up to then, to add steel to the Birmingham midfield but the momentum remained with Chelsea. James McFadden’s shot across goal was an opportunity, but it was an isolated attack and no respite from the constant home pressure. Quite how Ashley Cole had failed to convert Nicolas Anelka’s pull-back seconds previously was inexplicable.

Birmingham will need to quickly recover at home to fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

There was simply no space for Christian Benitez to exploit here, and nothing on which this team could seize in order to regain their poise. Lampard’s second, thumped home from Malouda’s pass, added gloss as full-time approached.

CHELSEA:Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Ballack,Lampard, Deco, Malouda, Joe Cole (Zhirkov 81), Anelka (Sturridge 88). Subs not used: Turnbull, Paulo Ferreira, Matic, Alex, Borini.

B IRMINGHAM:Hart, Carr, Roger Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell,Larsson, Bowyer, Ferguson, McFadden (Marcos Madera 72),Jerome (Fahey 56), Benitez. Subs not used: Maik Taylor, McSheffrey, Queudrue,Damien Johnson, Vignal.

Referee:Steve Bennett (Kent).

- Guardian Service