Champions Chelsea began their Premier League campaign as they ended it last season by topping the table after the opening weekend of the 2010/11 league season.

With Manchester United not scheduled to open their assault on a record 19th top-tier title until they host Newcastle on Monday night, The Blues were free from pressure to pick up where they left off.

And they did so in style, battering newly-promoted West Brom 6-0, with last season’s top scorer Didier Drogba also picking up where he left off with an emphatic hat-trick.

Frenchman Florent Malouda grabbed a brace while Frank Lampard helped himself to one in a start which will have done little for the Baggies’ confidence in staying up this time around.

Following last season’s 8-0 demolition of Wigan on the final day, Drogba became only the fourth player in Premier League history to net consecutive hat-tricks and The Blues because the first team in 101 years to register a goal difference of +14 over two top-flight games.

Elsewhere, fellow newcomers Blackpool created the weekend’s biggest shock as they thumped woeful Wigan 4-0 at the DW Stadium on their Premier League debut.

The Tangerines were three goals to the good by the break, with Marlon Harewood grabbing a brace after setting up Gary-Fletcher Taylor for the opener.

Latics keeper Chris Kirkland had a nightmare start to the campaign, arguably at fault for two of the first three goals and certainly at fault for Blackpool’s fourth as Alex Baptiste’s weak cross somehow evaded him at his near post.

Incredibly, the result from the 3pm kick-off meant Blackpool topped the table briefly before Chelsea overtook them that evening.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa showed there is life after Martin O’Neill as they strolled to a 3-0 win over West Ham at Villa Park. Stewart Downing and Stilian Petrov provided Villa a comfortable half-time lead before want-away midfielder James Milner added a third in the second half.

Earlier on Saturday, Tottenham and Man City played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane, with keeper Joe Hart putting in a man-of-the-match display after being chosen to play ahead of Shay Given.

At Ewood Park, an uncharacteristic howler from Tim Howard helped Blackburn earn a 1-0 win over Everton with Nikola Kalinic taking full advantage to score the only goal of the game.

Elsewhere, Sunderland let a two-goal lead slip at home to Birmingham who had defenders Liam Ridgewell and Scott Dann to thank for earning a point with late strikes at the Stadium of Light.

Wolves continued their progress from last season with a creditable 2-1 win over Stoke City, who had new record signing Kenwyne Jones stretchered off. Most opening weekends tend to produce a candidate for goal of the season and David Jones’ provided it with his retro donkey kick free-kick in the first half.

Steven Fletcher marked his debut with a goal before Abdoulaye Faye pulled one back for the Potters late on.

Perhaps the biggest game of the weekend took place on Sunday as Arsenal travelled to Anfield to take on Roy Hodgson’s new look Liverpool side.

Joe Cole’s Premier League debt turned sour just before half-time as he hacked down new Gunners defender Laurent Koscielny and saw red. The ten men of Liverpool came out and produced a battling second-half show, taking the lead early on though David Ngog.

The home side were cruelly denied a deserved three points, however, as Pepe Reina spilled into his own net after failing to react to a rebound off the post. Reina had earlier denied Thomas Rosicky with a world-class save, but ended up the villain of the piece as Arsenal secured a valuable point.

England returned to winning ways after coming from a goal down to defeat Hungary 2-1 in a friendly at Wembley.

The hosts fell a goal down through a Phil Jagielka own-goal in the second-half, but a one-man show from Steven Gerrard spared England’s blushes as a quickfire brace from the stand-in captain secured the win.

Capello’s side were far from their best and the performance was not one the public will appreciate following their dismal display in this summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

Jagielka went close at the right end early on but his volley from a Steven Gerrard corner sailed over the bar, but Hungary were well and truly rattled. Moments later, Rooney had the ball in the net only to see the flag correctly raised for offside.

England had a great deal of urgency about them early on as they looked to banish the ghosts of South Africa with immediate effect and they continued to dominate possession in the opening ten minutes.

In the 13th minute Adam Johnson should have handed the home side the lead after great work from Theo Walcott. The Arsenal winger picked up a pass from Glenn Johnson before skipping by a challenge and pulling back for the Manchester City winger, who skied his shot well over the crossbar.

Walcott continued to impress down the right flank but lack of movement in the penalty area, with Rooney operating in a lonely role up front on his own, meant the winger’s good work went begging.

On 29 minutes Gerrard raced onto a through ball from Frank Lampard on a rare England counterattack. However, Gabor Kiraly in the Hungarian goal read the danger and was quicker to the ball as he booted the ball into touch.

By that stage, though, Hungary had grown in confidence and tested Joe Hart with a couple of tame efforts from outside the box. England remained on top, however.

Gerrard tested Kiarly again in the 33rd minute with a whipped freekick from a tight angle, which the former Crystal Palace keeper tipped over the bar. From Adam Johnson’s resulting corner, the 34-year-old confidently claimed.

The half petered out with the hosts in control of the ball but far from impressive with it. The half-time whistle was met with predictable and, arguably, justified boos from all corners of the Wembley Stadium.

Walcott, who did not make Fabio Capello’s squad for South Africa, was the half’s shining light, making five successful dribbles past the Hungarian defence, more than any England player in the World Cup.

Second Half

Capello made four changes at the break, with Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and, rather inexplicably, Walcott making way. They were replaced by Michael Dawson, Ashley Young, Kieran Gibbs and Bobby Zamora, the latter two making their international debuts.

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first ended, with little urgency about either side for the opening fifteen minutes.

However, the game sprung into life out of nowhere as the unfancied Hungarians took a surprise lead in the 62nd minute. Michael Dawson failed to cut out a through ball and Fulham forward Zolton Gera fed the ball wide before a compatriot squared the ball across the face of goal and Phil Jagielka diverted into his own net.

The linesman awarded the goal, despite replays suggesting the ball never crossed the line as Dawson looked to have made amends by clearing the goal bound ball off the line with a last ditch tackle.

The goal stood and boo once again rung around Wembley. The home fans were not gloom for long though as England were behind for only seven minutes.

The inspiration stand-in captain Gerrard burst forward with venom in the 69th minute and a kind bobble allowed him to thump an effort into the top right-hand corner from just outside the penalty area. Wembley gasped a sign of relief.

And they had to wait just three minutes for the turnaround to be complete and it was that man Gerrard again who provided another divine solo effort to hand his country the lead for the first time.

Gerrard collected the ball inside the area with his back to goal before turning, skipping past two despairing Hungary defender and dinking the ball inside the post and past the onrushing Kiraly. Gerrard celebrated with passion but Capello showed not an ounce of emotion on the bench. He knows he remains under pressure, particularly as Martin O’Neill is now unemployed.

The goals handed England confidence for the first time in the match and Zamora went close to a debut goal as he drilled a fierce effort over the ball shortly after. Capello’s side were in control and saw no need to take risks in the closing stages of the game as they looked to quit while they were ahead by retaining possession with care.

Jack Wilshire made a late cameo appearance for his international debut, replacing man of the match Gerrard, who received a round of applause for his match-winning second-half show.

Hungary provided a late scare in the form of Gera in the 89th minute as he was sent through on goal but, from a difficult angle, he could only shoot straight at Hart in England’s goal and you sensed the home side would hang on.

And that they did. There were no boos at full-time as England came away with the win, but Capello will know he faces scrutiny from the press for the performance in the aftermath, if not the fans inside the stadium.

Chelsea player, Frank Lampard, has said that the 7-1 thrashing of Aston Villa over the weekend is one of the best games he has ever played.

Lampard scored four times as the blues totally blew apart Martin O’Neill’s side. It is very rare that a side playing another top side does this sort of thing and Lampard is soaking up all of it.

Villa are a side chasing a Champions League spot and hearts would have been in Chelsea mouths when they drew level through a John Carew goal. However, Chelsea’s strength ultimately showed.

It is also a very clear sign that the West London club are in great form ahead of the title run in. They are hot on the heels of Manchester United and will fancy their chances with the pair soon to play.

Lampard said: “The moving of the ball around, our passing and movement was fantastic. It was great football and that is when we are at our best. It is easy to write us off and say negative things about teams and players from the outside, but all we can do is play football.”

“We know the big games are to come, especially next week. We know the quality of the players we have, we’ve shown that over the course of the season.”

“We’ve beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal playing different formations. We have to forget the little rut we’ve been in and concentrate on the target now.”

“The title race has opened up with the way we’ve played in the last couple of games in particular and we want to take advantage.”

Chelsea also have the added advantage of the fact that they are no longer in Europe as they were knocked out by Inter Milan. This means the players are a little bit fresher than they otherwise would be.

The club have to win the league. A club the size of Chelsea demands some sort of trophy each season and with the recent heart break of the Champions League over the last couple of seasons, they will do what they can to get the Premier League title back.

However, it won’t be easy. The other sides they have left to play are not likely to roll over the way Villa did at the weekend. Chelsea must not fall into the trap of getting complacent against the lesser sides in the league.

These sides will all be scrapping for points to stop the threat of relegation and funnier things have happened in football.

If the rest of the results go as expected then the winner of Chelsea against Manchester United will probably go onto win the league. United whipped out a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton over the weekend, which also proves they are in fine form and scoring plenty of goals as well.

Liverpool captain and key England player, Steven Gerrard, has admitted that he has not been any where near his best this season.

The midfield maestro has been leading a Liverpool side, which has struggled to play good football, which brought many to tip them for the title this year.

Gerrard also needs to quickly improve in order to have the best possible chance of a regular starting place in the England team ahead of the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

He said: “I think it can be better, if you look at my form through the season as a whole I am not totally happy, I have not reached the level I would like to be at. It is not worrying me as I still have confidence that it can switch and turn at any given time to where I would want it to be at any given time, I have played well this season but I have come out of games when I have not been totally happy.”

“I am my own worse critic, I know myself when it is good and when it needs to be stepped up and the challenge for me now in the remaining games is to step up and drive Liverpool into fourth, try to go to the Uefa Cup [Europa League] final and go to the World Cup.”

“Time will tell, we are in a good situation – we are winning and confidence is high but we have learning to do and some improving to do if we are to go all the way. You need that bit of luck to keep players fit and the squad healthy – so we are in a good situation at this time but there is still a long way to the World Cup, a lot can happen.”

“I believe with this manager in charge the key time will be when we meet up, and up to the first game – when we basically will be living together, training – maybe twice a day, and we can learn a lot from each other and hopefully by the time the first game comes around every individual we will be well drilled, and know what we need to do to get out of the group as that is the first challenge.”

Gerrard will want to put to bed the jeers and abuse he has been getting in recent England games. In the last friendly match against Egypt, the Liverpool skipper was cheered off the pitch when his number was held up for a substitution.

In some respect if he or Chelsea’s Frank Lampard does not start for England at the World Cup it could have a positive effect on the team. It will allow someone else to step in and do a job who may bring a better balance into the side.

However, Gerrard is still capable of producing splendid displays and stunning goals at vital moments in big games. If he scores the winner against one of the country’s main rivals then no one is going to jeer or complain.

Former professional football player, Tony Cascarino, has said that England will need Peter Crouch more than Wayne Rooney in South Africa this summer.

Crouch came off the bench to bag a brace in the win over Egypt on Wednesday night. His dominance and physical presence seemed to transform the fortunes of the England side on the field.

Rooney played from the start of the game and gave a typically busy performance, which was capped by a TV clip that showed the Manchester United front man yelling at the entire team in the first half.

Cascarino said: “Who’s the more important striker for England, Wayne Rooney or Peter Crouch? Guess again: it’s Crouch. I’d argue he’s England’s most important attacker – potentially the team’s most important player, in fact.”

“Not the best player, you understand; but there’s a difference between “best” and “most important”. Crouch is one of those players who can make the entire team more effective just by his presence. He’s not the most individually talented, he need not even have an especially good game; but as we saw on Wednesday, when he’s in the team, England are improved.”

“It’s because of what Crouch does to opponents – he scares defences who are intimidated by his height – and what he does to his own team-mates. He adds a dimension to England’s attacks that isn’t present when two small forwards such as Rooney and Jermain Defoe are up front. And by doing that, Crouch influences England as a whole, because they become less predictable and more confident, whether he’s seeing much of the ball or not.”

“There’s enough flair in the England side to create chances without a tall target man, but Crouch gives an extra option. Wingers can cut inside and pass short to onrushing midfield players such as Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, or send over high crosses and feel optimistic Crouch will get on the end of the ball. They’ve got more choice when Crouch is there. And not being able to predict what will happen makes defences nervous and more vulnerable.”

It is highly debateable to say that Crouch is a better player than Rooney. Any football fan or pundit would pick the United striker ahead of the Spurs player. The point is that together they can become formidable.

Rooney has the work ethic and the skill to create something out of nothing while Crouch gives them something at the very top of the pitch. Just the sheer size of the Tottenham player makes him a daunting striker to play against.

The two need to combine and start working towards making England a threatening attacking team to play against. Teams have worked out how to play against Crouch but not when he has Rooney snapping at his heels as well.

Hopefully the two will bag enough goals to be able to send England into the later stages of the World Cup when literally any thing can happen.

Frank Lampard has insisted that selecting Rio Ferdinand as the next England international captain was the right choice for everyone concerned.

After John Terry was stripped of the role, there were calls emerging for great transparency within the England team and all players concerned. Fans and pundits alike seemed to want a new figure to represent England as opposed to a player with a damaged past.

Now England have a captain that was banned from football for missing a drugs test and a vice captain who has been in court for assault. Not to mention John Terry’s latest activities, which do not exactly inspire confidence down the spine of the team.

The point is that historically, Fabio Capello and England have both liked a defender in the role as captain. The defence is often seen as one of the most tactical areas to play in a football team and many captains like to lead from the back.

Lampard said: “John and Rio are both big personalities. The England captain has to be someone vocal in the squad and (Ferdinand) has always been a popular fella in the dressing room and he is easy to get on with.”

“The controversy of the changeover and everything is unfortunate but now it has changed Rio deserves it and will give it a great crack.”

“Wayne is our best player, especially at the moment, and he is the one that can really make things happen for us off the cuff. To burden him at that age (24) would have been the manager’s decision, but I think it is a good idea not to.”

“I think he will be England captain one day for sure. This has brought up a whole talk about England captaincy but you need a few captains on the pitch.”

England need to be structured and strong if they are to have any chance of success in South Africa this summer. Ferdinand already has experience of captaincy in the Manchester United side so it is important to look at the positives instead of the negatives.

Hopefully the team will pull together at just the right time and put all of these bad feelings and bad pasts behind them. On too many occasions, the best football players in the country are in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons when we just want to see them playing and doing well.

There had been strong calls for Wayne Rooney to be given the armband but the decision not to is probably the right one. Rooney needs to focus entirely on himself and his own game and not have to worry about other responsibilities. This will mean he can be ready and willing to rip the heart out of many sides.

If he was made skipper and then did not perform as well as everyone hoped then there would have been uproar and Rooney probably would have been forced to give up the role. Ferdinand has the job now and it’s important that we all get behind him and the team.

Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard, has leapt to the defence of his England teammate, Joleon Lescott, after he was subjected to a booing from England fans in the recent friendly win over Slovenia.

Lescott recently moved to Manchester City in a high profile, big money move that has led a number of fans to say that Lescott effectively left Everton to go and play for bigger money, suggesting that the player does not wear his heart on his sleeve and is in effect a mercenary.

However, Lampard himself is no stranger to criticism and booing from his own Chelsea and England admirers and simply says that the criticism should make Lescott more determined and a better player.

The Chelsea star said: “Maybe people respected the fact I stepped up and took that penalty at a very difficult moment, particularly because it had been a funny period for me before then. Booing is part of modern culture. It is unfortunate but as players we have to take that as the way it is. I have had a little bit of it, Ashley has too, but the only benefit out of it is people will come out stronger. It makes you tougher.”

“I don’t know Joleon well but, from what I’ve seen, he’s tough. The timing of his move was unfortunate. He is just trying to forward his career in an upward direction but, because it was so prolonged, people make a lot of judgments. He has never shown me he is not putting in 100% effort and trying to do his best.”

The reason that a lot of fans seem to have a problem with Lescott is the fact that his former club, Everton, gave him a great opportunity to show his commitment to the side as they obviously did not want him to leave. Ashley Cole was subjected to similar booing and criticism when he joined Chelsea from London rivals Arsenal and says it is now just part of the game.

Cole added: “[Against Kazakhstan last summer] What was I thinking [at the time]? I want to go off. You just want a hole to open up and go in it.”

The players need to realise that they are at the very top of the sport they play in and the fans pay more money than ever before when they go to see a game. Therefore when they see a top player under performing or making a basic error, they feel as though they have a rigght to stand up and have a boo if it makes them feel better.

Lescott is professional enough to let it wash over him but it is something he may just have to endure for the rest of his career.

England manager, Fabio Capello, says that he will have to be ruthless if his defensive players do not tighten up. Capello was visibly annoyed during the 2-1 home friendly victory over Slovenia at the weekend but the manager says there are worries in defence.

England won the match thanks to goals from Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe but were worryingly loose in defence, which was shown when Slovenia grabbed their consolation goal.

Capello has a history of dropping players without a second thought and has been previously involved in a number of heated arguments and exchanges at a variety of clubs he managed at before taking the England job.

Capello said: “Sometimes I shout but this time not. I will explain what I want them to do – if they want to stay with me.”

It is unlikely that Capello will make huge changes ahead of England’s World Cup qualifying match with Croatia on Wednesday. If England win the match then they will become one of the first teams to secure a place at next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.

However, the point is that another bad performance in defence from England could lead to a number of players falling out of favour with the coach and it could open up a corridor of possibility for fringe players that would not have been expecting a chance.

England have the team and the ability to do very well at the World Cup but the fundemental basis of Capello’s game is built around having a tight defence. Mathew Upson has not impressed since he was given the nod to replace Rio Ferdinand and Capello may opt to go for less experience but more desire in future games.

England’s strongest defensive pairing is still John Terry and Rio Ferdinand but the worry is what comes after this. Capello has already tried a variety of combinations that have for some reason or another not worked and the reliance on big name players is worrying.

There is no room for egos or mistakes in what the Italian is trying to achieve with the English national side. As he has said himself, there is room to do big and great things but this requires commitment and focus in every single national game that is played. England will not get off so lightly against better opposition.

Any lapse in concentration against an Italy, Germany, Spain or France, even for the smallest amount of time could be the difference between failure and success for England. Complete and utter focus is necessary if the side are to have any chance of winning a major tournament that they can do.

AC Milan playmaker, Andrea Pirlo, has played down the links that have said he is about to join Carlo Ancelotti in moving to Chelsea. Pirlo was said to be upset at the way that Ancelotti left the Italian giants and was rumoured to have already negotiated a deal that would take him to West London.

However, the player insists that although it would be nice to sign for Chelsea, the quotes that originally linked him to the club were complete fabrication. This may come as a shock to many Chelsea fans that would have been hoping that Pirlo could come in and stabilise the midfield, doing the job that Deco was not up to.

Pirlo said: “Perhaps it’s possible that I could join Ancelotti in London. He is a great coach, perhaps I could play with him again. I have never spoken to the Irish Independent [one of the newspapers which carried the quote]. I have not made any of the comments that have been attributed to my name.”

Pirlo could be the exact sort of player that Chelsea are looking for. At 30 he still has a couple of good years ahead of him and he is the sort of player that mirrors Andres Iniesta of Barcelona in the respect that he does not ever give a pass of longer than ten yards because he is that good at being able to position himself.

However, the problem that Ancelotti is faced with is that he probably has more funds available at Chelsea than he ever did in the time that he was AC Milan manager. He also does not have the ability to rely on Kaka any more who went to Real Madrid in a huge financial package.

It could be unlikely that Ancelotti would be willing to buy players that he had worked with before unless he was certain that they could match the technical ability and talent of any player that he can effectively now buy. His options have been opened wide up because of the funds he has available and he may choose to sign a number of other, less mainstream players who can use youth and talent to make Chelsea great again.

Pirlo obviously would not fit into this category but what he would take to Chelsea would be a lot of experience and he could pass this onto the youths at Chelsea who are struggling to break into the first team. Chelsea are maybe outside the top four football academies in the country and the more experience that you can get in through the door the better as the chances of helping younger players progress would be better.

The story comes just days after Ancelotti was rumoured to be trying to get Paolo Maldini to move to England and take up a coaching role and it shows that he does have some faith in old experience and ability. The likes of Frank Lampard are not getting any younger and the arrival of Pirlo could create a new enthusiasm within the team.

Frank Lampard has refused to get carried away with England’s impressive form and believes success in South Africa will define their progress. Fabio Capello has a perfect record in qualifying for the World Cup with seven wins from seven games in his first campaign with the latest win a 6-0 drubbing over minnows Andorra.

The win put England 10 points clear of Croatia and Ukraine in Group 6 and their form has prompted many England fans to suggest the squad are well equipped to win the tournament next summer. Lampard netted his second of the campaign in the Andorra rout but has called for calm heads as England near automatic qualification. “Going into the World Cup on good form can be a good thing, as long as we do not get carried away and have the right attitude,” he said.

“As a group we are not overconfident. We are playing well, but we realise there is still a long way to go. “We just need to keep the form going into the World Cup and then get our minds right. “We are scoring regularly, there is a confidence about us and it is important we carry that on and qualify as soon as possible. We have always had good individuals, but now we are playing as a team. After missing out on the European Championship finals last summer, Fabio Capello has restored pride in the national team after a change in personnel and formation rejuvenated the England team.

Lampard came under scrutiny during the last campaign for failing to strike up a working partnership with fellow midfielder Steven Gerrard. The pair failed to gel in the centre of the pitch under former boss Steve McClaren, but Capello’s changes have seen both Lampard and the Liverpool captain operate in new roles. “The manager has tweaked it a little bit and everyone is happy,” said Lampard. “We are both playing slightly different roles than we do for our clubs, but we are happy because we are in a winning team and it is gelling.

“I basically stop a lot more, am playing more of a central role. “The manager wants discipline in the centre of the park. Stevie has more freedom to roll in off the left where he can be very dangerous even though it is not his Liverpool position. The emergence of Gareth Barry as regular in Capello’s side has seen an improvement in the midfield’s performance and Lampard admits that a bond has formed as a result of their good form.

“We were playing well for our clubs week in and week out, but never hurt teams as a group. Now we are. “There is a togetherness about us, you can feel it in training every day, and that is the difference. “At the moment it is all clicking, but we will be judged at the end of the World Cup rather than winning games against Andorra.” “I feel the hunger even more with the more experience I get. I am enjoying my football for both Chelsea and England. “I am feeling more confident and just want to keep playing. There is a big season ahead for me.

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has also benefited from a return to international form as he took his tally to 10 for the campaign against Andorra. England teammate Lampard has hailed the 23-year-old’s form and believes it is down to finding the right balance in his approach play. “Wayne has been up there for quite a while and now he is scoring a few more goals at international level people are sitting up and taking notice. But he is right up there with the best,” said Lampard.

“Maybe he occupied himself a bit much with dropping deep and trying to put people in and do everything. “Now he has found that medium where he is doing that stuff, but also getting in the box on the end of things.”