23/10/2004  Chelsea 4 Blackburn 0
 
A hat-trick from Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen and another from Damien Duff put more pressure on Arsenal and Manchester United ahead of their titanic showdown at Old Trafford.

Gudjohnsen took his tally to four in the last two games and five for the season, with two clinical first-half strikes and a second-half spot-kick.

The defeat leaves sad Blackburn still without a win away from home and with just one win in 10 Premiership games this season.

They are now well entrenched in the relegation places at the foot of the Premiership after Chelsea took them apart in the rain.

Chelsea were in charge from the start after opting to leave fit again Arjen Robben on the bench and start with Duff alongside Gudjohnsen up front.

Robben had recovered from the ankle injury sustained during the club's pre-season build-up but had to be satisfied with a place on the bench.

In another surprise move, Mourinho axed under-performing striker Mateja Kezman. He has yet to score for the Blues since his arrival from PSV Eindhoven in July.

There were also first starts for Scott Parker, the subject of transfer speculation regarding his old club Charlton, and full-back Glen Johnson.

Blackburn's problems began as early as the third minute when Duff got round the back of Lucas Neill down Chelsea's left flank but his cross was too weak to cause the visitors any real problems.

Blackburn produced little attacking intent in the early stages of a contest dominated by the slippery conditions and persistent drizzle.

Skipper Frank Lampard came close to giving Chelsea an eighth-minute lead when Joe Cole's cross was half-cleared by the unbalanced Craig Short.

However, Lampard's shot beat Friedel only for the back-pedalling Neill to clear for a corner.

Blackburn's Garry Flitcroft found himself in referee Graham Poll's notebook in the 19th minute for a crude challenge on Parker but the visitors were unlucky not to get a penalty after forcing their first corner of the game four minutes later.

Paul Dickov was bundled over by Alexei Smertin but Poll waved their protests away and repeated his actions again moments later when the increasingly lively Dickov went down under a challenge from Ricardo Carvalho.

A spell of Chelsea pressure saw Carvalho almost connect with Lampard corner on the half-hour.

Lampard was thwarted 10 minutes before the break when his left-foot shot found Friedel equal to the task. But the home fans were cheered moments later when Gudjohnsen opened the scoring in the 38th minute as the result of a delightful lobbed pass from Cole.

The former West Ham midfielder picked out the Icelandic striker unmarked at the far post and his right foot shot easily beat the stranded Friedel.

Two minutes later Gudjohnsen scored his third goal in two games when he latched onto a 30-yard chipped pass over the heads of the flat-footed Rovers defence and unleashed a powerful right-foot volley beyond the unprotected Friedel for his fourth goal of the season.

Parker then felt the wrath of referee Poll who booked the Blues midfielder for dissent as he protested angrily about a decision against him.

Chelsea were now in rampant form and Rovers were finding it hard to contain Cole and Parker in midfield. Cole linked up superbly with Gudjohnsen before firing a right-foot shot over the target from 20 yards.

The second half began with no let up in the driving rain and the Blues continued their dominance just four minutes after the re-start when Gudjohnsen was adjudged to have been brought down in the penalty area by Craig Short. The Icelandic striker completed his first-ever professional hat-trick by sending Friedel the wrong way.

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes reacted swiftly to their predicament by making a double substitution. He replaced Youri Djorkaeff and Dickov with Jonathan Stead and Jay Bothroyd in an attempt to reduce the arrears.

Only a saving tackle from Neill prevented Duff from having a clear run on goal after the livewire Cole found him with a measured through ball.

Seconds later Cole made way for Robben - making his debut for the club in the Premiership.

Robben almost made a sensational start to his Premiership career following a mazy run down the left flank. The former PSV midfielder's shot was deflected across the face of the goal as Chelsea searched for a fourth.

In the 71st minute Gudjohnsen received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was replaced by Kezman.

Two minutes later Duff almost added to the scoreline but his left-foot shot, from a clear shooting position was deflected wide.

It did not matter though as the Irishman made sure from 20 yards out from the resultant corner.

Duff fired a low shot into the corner with Friedel unable to get more than a feint touch of the hand on it as it flashed by.

Kezman, yet to score for the club since he arrived in the summer from PSV, thought he had broken his drought 11 minutes from time when Robben's cross fell at his feet some six yards out. But he somehow managed to hit the bar from point-blank range.