Sunderland hit for magnificent seven by Chelsea

LONDON // Chelsea hit sorry Sunderland for seven at Stamford Bridge to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League. Two goals from Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard plus others from Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack completed a superb afternoon for Carlo Ancelotti's side. Sunderland scored consolation goals through substitute Bolo Zenden and Darren Bent but Steve Bruce's side have now failed to win for eight games.

"We have just given maybe our best performance of the season," said Ancelotti. "This is how we should continue to play from now until the end of the campaign." The returning Anelka began the rout in the eighth minute. The France striker pounced on a clever through-ball from Ballack, rounded the keeper Marton Fulop and placed the ball into the net. Malouda added a second in the 17th minute when he collected the ball just inside the Sunderland half, shrugged off two challenges and sent an angled right-foot drive into the bottom corner of the net from 18 yards.

The league leaders went 3-0 ahead in the 22nd minute with another simple move. John Terry's lofted ball from the back found Ashley Cole sprinting into the penalty area and the England left-back dummied Lorik Cana before dinking the ball over Fulop The confidence was running through the Chelsea side and they made it 4-0 in the 34th minute. Anelka fed Ashley Cole on the left-wing and his cross was volleyed home from six yards by Lampard.

Chelsea continued to dominate after the break and in the 50th minute Fulop had to fingertip a shot from Anelka on to the crossbar and post. But No 5 did come in the 52nd minute and it was pure simplicity for Chelsea, with a cross from Joe Cole headed home from six yards by the unmarked Ballack. Sunderland hit back in the 56th minute when substitute Zenden fired home from the edge of the penalty area.

But it hardly unsettled the Blues, and their sixth duly arrived in the 62nd minute when substitute Yury Zhirkov's cross was punched straight to Anelka by Fulop and the striker slotted into an empty net from the edge of the area. Chelsea made it 7-1 in the 90th minute when Lampard headed home a cross from Anelka before Bent scored Sunderland's second in injury time moments before the final whistle.