Lampard the high-energy revelation

He has played 53 games for Chelsea and nine for England this season, in the one position in which you simply cannot hide. On Saturday afternoon, there were 14 minutes remaining in one of the most exhausting, frantic Premiership matches of the season. And yet when the ball was speared through Bolton's defence on the end of a devastating Chelsea break it was no surprise to see Frank Lampard there to gather it into his stride and bear down on goal.

He has played 53 games for Chelsea and nine for England this season, in the one position in which you simply cannot hide. On Saturday afternoon, there were 14 minutes remaining in one of the most exhausting, frantic Premiership matches of the season. And yet when the ball was speared through Bolton's defence on the end of a devastating Chelsea break it was no surprise to see Frank Lampard there to gather it into his stride and bear down on goal.

Lampard took one step to bypass Jussi Jaaskelainen before he applied the sweetest finishing touch to a Chelsea Premiership title that any of the travelling support could have wished for. It was a moment that spoke of Chelsea's sheer endurance. They were one goal up, the prize was in sight and their England midfielder still had enough energy to make the distance from box to box in less time than it takes to crack open a bottle of champagne.

When he later came to recall his second goal, which finally sealed Chelsea's title, it was testament to the modesty of the country's pre-eminent midfielder that Lampard said he was more concerned about spoiling the moment.

"I didn't want to overrun it," he said "The keeper tried to make it hard but I just wanted to see it hit the back of the net because I knew that was basically the title for us. Actually, I was just thinking 'don't mess it up'."

No chance of that in a personal year that must rank among the most spectacular of any modern footballer's, and could yet be crowned by a European Cup. From three goals for England at Euro 2004, to the Premiership title in a season that sees him currently ranked as the club's top goalscorer with 18, Saturday's performance embodied what Lampard has come to stand for in English football. A player who is a model for self-improvement, and one who has reinvented himself since his £11m move from West Ham in 2001.

That was why, as Ricardo Carvalho sprinted to catch up with that swashbuckling Chelsea break, he was never likely to get the ball. Lampard said that before the game he had discussed with John Terry which end they should attack in the first half and that a sense of destiny had convinced the two men to kick towards their own fans in the second half.

"It's fantastic and it's the best day I have ever had in football - to score the goals made it the perfect day and this easily the best day of my career," Lampard said. "Scoring important goals is what I am here for and what I love to do and to [score] both is amazing.

"The season has gone from strength to strength for me personally. Scoring goals, being part of the team and playing virtually every game and then to cap it with a couple of goals to win the league. A win on Tuesday night [against Liverpool in the Champions' League semi-final] would just be the perfect outcome for me.

"I work hard and the manager has a lot of faith in me and thinks I can play every game. After the game he was very emotional - he just said 'that was brilliant'. At half-time he had said that we had been poor first half and told us 'You are only 45 minutes from the title'. After all the emotion of the season, to finally win it is a release."

As Sam Allardyce put it: "You can't take anything out of Frank Lampard." The Bolton manager rhapsodised about the "energy" of the Chelsea midfielder. "He could play 100 games in a season that lad.

"He started in their box when we had the corner and he finished in our box scoring the goal: that's how good he was. He was the big difference, without any question. At the moment he has to be one of the best players in the world."

In comparison, Allardyce offered Paul Scholes - "in his heyday" - the player whom Lampard has replaced in the England team. Both of them have the rare talent of scoring goals from midfield and yet there are few who would place the Chelsea man's natural ability above that of Scholes. That Lampard seems destined to have great success none the less is part of what makes his achievements so admirable.