Chelsea 5-1 Bolton Wanderers  (Sky Sports)


Gudjohnsen Wakes Chelsea From Their Slumber

Eidur Gudjohnsen
 

 

Chelsea 5-1 Bolton
Gudjohnsen 41
Hasselbaink 45
Zenden 56
Hendry o.g. 76
Lampard 87 
  Nolan 3 
FA Barclaycard Premiership

Andy Clarke reporting

Eidur Gudjohnsen produced a fine performance to earn Chelsea three points at the expense of his former club.

The pre-match talk in Lancashire had been of the threat posed by the Icelandic international - and he showed exactly why his former manager Sam Allardyce still holds him in such high regard.

Chelsea had looked anything but championship challengers in a subdued first half display and trailed to Kevin Nolan's early headed goal when Gudjohnsen fired in a blistering drive to draw them level.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink broke clear down the left before cutting the ball back to his strike partner, who fizzed a low shot beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen's left hand.

Four minutes later Gudjohnsen returned the favour to Hasselbaink, teeing up the Dutchman for a rising shot into the top corner to give Claudio Ranieri's side a half time lead which will undoubtedly have been greeted with surprise in the home dressing room.

Only three minutes had elapsed when Bolton took the lead, Nolan and three colleagues reacting quickest to Per Frandsen's curling cross, and the young midfielder glanced a free header past Carlo Cudicini.

It was only the second time the Italian keeper had been beaten in 11 matches this season and Chelsea were fortunate that a third didn't follow shortly after when Nolan's drive was harshly ruled out for a handball decision against Michael Ricketts in the build-up.

Bolton had other chances in the first half, notably when Cudicini flapped at Ricardo Gardner's corner only for Mario Stanic to clear the ball off the line. Cudicini then redeemed himself with a one-handed save from Gardner's angled shot.

With the visitors' resistence broken by the interval, a relieved Chelsea had much the better of the second period, which was illuminated by a superb solo goal by Boudewijn Zenden.

The Dutch international benefitted from a fortunate ricochet off Paul Warhurst before chesting the ball down and lifted a delicate lob over Jaaskelainen from 22 yards.

Bolton might have given themselves a lifeline when substitute Dean Holdsworth headed goalwards but Cudicini pulled off an excellent save.

Seconds later they were dead and buried as Sam Dalla Bona broke clear and squared the ball towards Gudjohnsen, only for Colin Hendry to shin the ball into his own net.

Hasselbaink then squandered a glorious chance of a fifth as Bolton were reeling, but Frank Lampard was more accurate three minutes from time with a right foot shot which beat Jaaskelainen from 25 yards.

Man of the Match: Eidur Gudjohnsen - Scored the crucial goal which brought Chelsea back into the game and was a constant threat to his old colleagues.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Le Saux (Ferrer 82), Gallas, Terry, Melchiot, Lampard, Stanic, Dalla Bona, Zenden (Petit 66),
Gudjohnsen (Zola 80), Hasselbaink.
Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic.
Booked: Gudjohnsen, Terry.
 
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, N'Gotty, Whitlow, Hendry, Warhurst (Hansen 77), Charlton, Frandsen (Farrelly 58),
Gardner, Johnson (Holdsworth 59), Nolan, Ricketts.
Subs Not Used: Poole, Diawara.
Booked: Johnson, Whitlow.

Att: 34,063
Ref: U Rennie (Sheffield)

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