Mourinho hails Lampard as 'best player in world'

Chelsea 4 Blackburn Rovers

"I don't see how he can improve," Mourinho said, "because for me he is the best player in the world. I would not change Lampard for another player because he does everything. His defence is incredible, he can pass over a long distance, he can pass short. He can score over long distance, how can he improve?"

So forget Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Zidane. Being Mourinho, he could not offer the opinion without a touch of insolence. "You have to ask these top people of world football," he said of those who hand out the awards, "what they are doing at weekends."

Lampard has now made 157 consecutive Premiership appearances (only two short of David James's record). Against a stubborn Blackburn on Saturday he reached 100 club career goals. He is a model of consistency and a match-winner with 10 goals to his credit this season. Bursting with energy, Lampard drives Chelsea forward and has the scoring rate of a striker. Above all, Lampard understands team play and with Chelsea he extracts more from his midfield role than anyone else.

Saturday's performance was typical: he provided the cross for the first goal and scored the second and third, and from midfield he is the Premiership's leading scorer. "There are some great players in the world," added Mourinho, "but they play one game every month or one day they are man of the match, the next day they don't get a touch. This player is top in every game."

Chelsea raced into a two-goal lead after 14 minutes to suggest that all Blackburn's planning would soon lie in ruins but the visitors kept their nerve and on another day might have got something. Through good rotation in midfield and involving their full-backs in attacking play, Blackburn stayed in the game, giving Chelsea more than they had bargained for, and they had deservedly drawn level by half-time.

Blackburn's cause was not helped by the dismissal from the dug-out of their manager, Mark Hughes. Hughes had grown increasingly irritated with a few of the decisions by the referee, Mike Riley, and his anger reached boiling point when Tugay was harshly penalised for a foul on Michael Essien nine minutes into the second half. Having failed to attract Riley's attention, Hughes lashed out at a bag and was reported to Riley by the fourth official Steve Kettle.

"I shouted three times to get the referee's attention, couldn't do it and then kicked the bag," Hughes said. "And tell me why we picked up five yellow cards. The match programme referred to us as aggressive. You have to wonder sometimes whether that sort of thing influences referees."

It was the refusal of Hughes' team to lie down that provided such a good match. The first goal came on 10 minutes. John Terry challenged strongly for Lampard's corner-kick and when the ball was cleared back to the England midfielder Blackburn's defence had lost its shape, leaving Didier Drogba unmarked and he comfortably scored with his head. Chelsea doubled their lead four minutes later and, again, the goal resulted from a corner. Terry's presence caused panic in the Blackburn area and he was wrestled to the floor by Andy Todd. Lampard belted home the penalty.

Such a start would have killed off most teams at Stamford Bridge, but not Blackburn. They inched their way back into the game and when Petr Cech failed to deal with Morten Pedersen's corner, Ricardo Carvalho was penalised for a foul on Zurab Khizanishvili. Craig Bellamy scored easily from the spot.

Sticking to their game plan, Blackburn continued to improve and two minutes from the break they drew level. Cech screwed Asier Del Horno's lazy back-pass a few yards forward and into the air. Shefki Kuqi got the better of Terry and directed his header into the path of Bellamy who stooped and scored. The visitors, and Bellamy, became the first team and player to score two Premiership goals against the champions since Arsenal and Thierry Henry at Highbury last December. Chelsea were rattled.

Cue Lampard. In the 62nd minute he sent in a swinging free-kick and the ball went in at Brad Friedel's far post. When Joe Cole's long-range attempt was deflected off Khizanishvili for Chelsea's fourth Blackburn's resistance was over.

Mourinho could not resist a side-swipe at Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, who had stated on the radio that last week's elimination from the Carling Cup by Charlton and the loss of two points at Everton amounted to a crisis. "Arsenal cannot win away from home and without Henry they are only half a team. A crisis. What crisis?"

Goals: Drogba (10) 1-0; Lampard (14, pen) 2-0; Bellamy (18, pen) 2-1; Bellamy (44) 2-2; Lampard (62) 3-2; Cole (74) 4-2.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno; Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Wright-Phillips (Robben, 68); Drogba (Crespo, 80), Cole (Gudjohnsen, 78). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Ferreira.

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel; Neill, Khizanishvli, Todd, Gray; Emerton, Tugay (Reid, 72), Savage (Mokoena, 77), Pedersen; Bellamy, Kuqi (Dickov, 75). Substitutes not used: Enckelman (gk), Bentley.

Referee: M Riley (Yorkshire).

Man of the match: Lampard.

Attendance: 41,553.