Chelsea 4 Wolves 0: Brilliant Michael Essien Brace Inspires Four-Star Blues

Michael Essien helped Chelsea tighten their grip on the top of the Premier League table as he scored twice in a 4-0 romp over beleaguered Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After Florent Malouda had fired the Blues into an early lead, the Ghana international stamped his mark on the game, heading in Malouda's corner and then adding a second with a low shot that somehow squirmed through Wayne Hennessey's grasp.

The biggest cheer of the afternoon, however, came in the 56th minute when Joe Cole fired in for his first goal since October 2008 and his return from a serious knee injury. By the end, Chelsea were in party mode and manager Carlo Ancelotti even felt able to give a first senior appearance to Gael Kakuta, the teenager at the centre of the tapping-up controversy which saw the Blues banned from the transfer market for 12 months.

REACTION:
Ancelotti believes Chelsea's formidable display proves they do not need to rely on established stars such as Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, who both missed this game through injury.

He also reserved special praise for his young debutant Kakuta, who impressed during his cameo as a second-half substitute.

The Italian said: "This match shows that we are in a very good condition. We had a lot of injuries but our play was the same and that's important.

"We put in some young players and in Jan we maintain this situation, which is why we don't want to buy players. Kakuta played well. He has a lot of talent and he showed in 30 minutes that he has that talent. We have to stay calm with him because he has to improve still. But we hope that he will do better in the future for us."

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy was predictably downbeat, although he insisted his team's chances of success in their relegation battle would not rest on daunting games such as this.

He said: "We were happy with nil in the end. We made a few chances but we made mistakes with the goals. We have to keep going but the spirit is good.

"I would have hoped for a bit better but we won't be judged on today - it's the games against Birmingham and Bolton which will be crucial for us. I don't doubt their spirit - we had five good chances in the first half today."

HOW IT HAPPENED:
This game was over almost before it had started, as Chelsea blew their guests away in a whirlwind opening that saw them roar into a three-goal lead after 23 minutes. That said, they were helped by some truly dismal defending: Wolves backed off cravenly to allow Malouda to rattle in the first, while Essien was left completely unmarked from the Frenchman's corner to nod in the second. Hennessey, meanwhile, was at fault for allowing the third to dribble through his body.

At least Wanderers achieved a vestige of solidity after that, although Chelsea were hardly at full throttle. The fourth goal from Cole drew the most enthusiastic celebrations, given it was the England midfielder's first goal for more than a year thanks to his long-term knee injury, but it, too, owed much to some flaky goalkeeping from Hennessey.

WHAT IT MEANS:
The fact that Chelsea were able to romp to victory, albeit over struggling opponents, without a number of top names including Drogba, Lampard, Michael Ballack and Deco should send shivers up the spines of their would-be title rivals.

It proved that, when it comes to sheer strength in depth, few can compete with the Blues and underlines why Ancelotti does not feel he needs to add significantly to his squad in the January transfer window.

Wolves, meanwhile, should just try and move on from this non-performance as swiftly as possible. McCarthy will not have expected to have snaffled any points from Stamford Bridge but he will have been concerned at how quickly and meekly his defence subsided.

There were few positives to draw for the visitors, but next week's encounter with Birmingham will give a more accurate gauge of their survival prospects.

QUOTABLE:
"Michael."
- Carlo Ancelotti, after being asked whether he has a nickname for impressive midfielder Michael Essien.

CHELSEA 4 (Malouda 5, Essien 13, 23, J Cole 56) WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 0

PLAYER MARKING:
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech 6; Belletti 6, Terry 7, Alex 6, A Cole 6; Mikel 6; Essien 8, Malouda 9 (Matic 70, 5); J Cole 7; Kalou 8 (Borini 79, 6), Anelka 7 (Kakuta 59, 6).
Subs (not used): Hilario, Ivanovic, Zhirkov, Ferreira.

Wolves (3-5-2): Hennessey 3; Stearman 4, Craddock 4, Berra 4; Halford 5, Edwards 5, Henry 5, Castillo 4 (Kightly 53, 5), Surman 5; Jarvis 4, Ebanks-Blake 4 (Keogh 62, 5).
Subs (not used): Hahnemann, Elokobi, Milijas, Foley, Maierhofer.

ATTENDANCE: 41,786

NEXT UP:
- Chelsea v FC Porto (Away), Champions League, 25/11, 1945 GMT
- Wolves v Birmingham (Home), Premier League, 29/11, 1200 GM

MAN OF THE MATCH:
Florent Malouda (Chelsea): Set Chelsea on their way with a well-taken goal in the fifth minute and never looked back. Involved in all the home side's best moves and was a perpetual menace for Wolves, who simply could not contain him.