By Ollie Irish

An evening stroll for Chelsea, this. They brushed aside in-form Birmingham like Roger Federer crushes unseeded players in the first round of majors, i.e. with disdain and efficiency. Frank Lampard scored twice – clinical strikes, both – after Florent Malouda had put Chelsea in front with a routine header in the fifth minute. In his post-match interview, Charlie Ancelotti called Lamps “The best running midfielder in the world”, which is not an oft-used category but sums the player up perfectly – Lampard’s runs into the box are so dangerous. Incidentally, I now think of myself as “The best non-running midfielder in the world”.

As Big Alan Hansen mentioned on Match of the Day, all of Chelsea’s England stars – John Terry, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole and Lampard – played extremely well, which is good news for Fabio Capello. Terry and A Cole, in particular, are having brilliant seasons. As much as I’ve been vocal in the past abut the pair’s shortcomings as human beings, no one can deny that they are two world-class tools defenders.

So Chelsea go back to the top of the table – say hello to your third Prem leaders in the space of a week – and I wouldn’t bet against them staying there.

Photos from the Bridge:

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Birmingham City's James McFadden (left) and Chelsea's Michael Ballack battle for the ball

Posted in Birmingham City, Chelsea, Photos | 1 Comment »