Wigan Athletic 0 Chelsea 6:Chelsea scored six for the second week in a row and Wigan have now conceded 10 in two games after they suffered the same fate as West Bromwich Albion at the hands of the champions, who shot back to the top of the table as their hosts plummeted to the bottom.
Last week Didier Drogba scored three, this week he missed the target on a number of occasions but he still assisted three for his team-mates and picked up the man-of-the-match award despite braces for Nicolas Anelka and Salamon Kalou, and goals from Florent Malouda and new signing Yossi Benayoun.
The Blues have now scored a phenomenal 29 goals in just five league games, 14 of those against Wigan as they thumped eight past them on the final day of last season.
As for Roberto Martinez’s hapless side, they have conceded 25 goals in six league matches, with 10 this season after starting out with a 4-0 home humiliation to Blackpool last weekend.
That had prompted bookmakers into offering staggering odds of 15-1 on a Wigan win, arguably forgetting the Latics had ended Chelsea’s six-match winning start
to last season with a 3-1 victory.
Certainly for the opening half hour Wigan’s performance in contrast to a week ago was as different as night and day.
There was energy, effort and endeavour, and most crucially a lack of errors that was the main reason behind their embarrassing downfall against the Seasiders.
Striker Hugo Rodallega epitomised the difference as he was willing to chase balls out to the left wing, and when required he also tracked back to play his part in defence.
Rodallega was also the man who put Petr Cech under any pressure, although in fairness a 35-yard free-kick and 22-yard drive were meat and drink for a man of the Chelsea goalkeeper’s calibre.
But for that initial 30 minutes Chelsea were kept quiet by Wigan’s industry, with their only notable effort not really one to write home about as John Obi Mikel skied a 25-yard effort high over the crossbar.
However, Chelsea are not champions for nothing and in the 33rd minute they underlined why, stepping up a gear for the goal that broke the deadlock.
It was simple, incisive stuff as Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole combined down the left to tee up Frank Lampard for a close-range prod that was brilliantly tipped away by captain Chris Kirkland.
But from the rebound Malouda’s reactions were too quick for Maynor Figueroa as he was on hand to tap home from a yard out.
Wigan’s high work rate kept them in the game until the half-time break during which Martinez would undoubtedly have urged his side to keep it tight after the restart, whilst at least try and press for the equaliser.
But within the space of just over six minutes, such words will have counted for nothing as Wigan found themselves 3-0 down, and with the game over as a contest.
Two minutes and 29 seconds into the second half Chelsea had doubled their lead courtesy of a crisp, clinical strike from Anelka.
Collecting a raking ball from Mikel down the right, Anelka’s cause was aided by Figueroa, Antolin Alcaraz and Kirkland pausing for a brief moment as the Frenchman strode into the area.
The trio gave Anelka just enough time to steady himself before he then unleashed a low right-foot shot beyond Kirkland inside his right-hand post. Fewer than four minutes later Chelsea were heading back to London with all three points as Anelka scored his second.
After chasing a long ball down the left, Malouda chipped in a cross to the far post where Drogba turned the ball back across goal for Anelka to nod home from three yards.
To their credit Wigan refused to roll over, arguably playing some of their best football of the game, albeit all in vain.
Yet Rodallega and the returning Charles N’Zogbia, absent last week after Martinez had questioned his attitude, were denied by brave blocks by Chelsea captain John Terry and Alex respectively.
Ireland midfielder James McCarthy then saw a deflected effort hit the right-hand post, with Mauro Boselli flagged offside after tapping home the rebound.
Chelsea, though, were not done and after being on the pitch eight minutes after replacing Malouda, Kalou made it four in the 78th minute.
After Mohamed Diame was taken off on a stretcher, Chelsea then rubbed further salt into Wigan’s wounds with Kalou making it 5-0 in the 89th minute and another sub in Yossi Benayoun adding the sixth in stoppage time.