Chelsea legendary striker Frank Lampard is on all-time high as he scored his 198th goal of his prolific career for the team and Marko Marin netted his first as the European champions got back to winning ways with a 4-1 rout of Wigan Athletic in the Premier League on Saturday.
It was the 34-year-old England international’s fourth strike in as many league games and he is moving closer to Bobby Tambling’s evergreen Chelsea record of 202 goals.
The Londoners played already four games in all matches without a victory in sight with interim manager Rafa Benitez still expecting results will make better as his squad is getting back to full strength.
“It’s important to have more bodies because you can change players for others with fresh legs. With the quality we have it will make things easier,” Benitez told reporters soon after his team stayed third, 13 points ahead of champions Manchester United.
Chelsea have had an exhaustive set of matches, playing three games a week since the end of October, and have been hampered with injuries, suspensions and the lack of Nigerian talents John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses on African Nations Cup duty.
“Oscar had a bit of cramp today and Gary Cahill did as well because they are playing so many games and they were also away on international break in midweek,” added Benitez, referring to two players he was made to remove off in the second half.
“We were able to move David Luiz from midfield to centre back and we didn’t have that option before. Juan Mata was on the bench and we were able to bring him on for Oscar so that was really good too.
“I was also able to bring on Yossi Benayoun and Marin so it’s much better now that we are able to manage the game in a different way. In the past it was more difficult to change the game,” said Benitez.
Chelsea grabbed the lead in the first half with the excellent Fernando Torres set up Ramires and the Brazilian completely got rid of the Wigan defence to clip the ball into the roof of the net.
Torres managed the ball up well on an overall and was lucky not to score, heading a Lampard free kick inches wide and ensuring two superb saves from Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi.
Eden Hazard, getting back after a three-match suspension for his spat with a ballboy in the League Cup semi-final at Swansea City, made it 2-0 with a low drive in the 56th minute courtesy a cross by raiding right back Cesar Azpilicueta.
Slick-passing Wigan were totally in the game, though, and they resulted in a scare for Chelsea with midfield playmaker Shaun Maloney charged on to a through ball, cornered goalie Petr Cech and pointed at an empty net from an acute angle.
Benitez’s side have squandered numerous leads in recent matches and the Stamford Bridge faithful began to get jittery before Lampard fired a low shot home with three minutes to go.
