The biggest win at Stamford Bridge under Felipe Scolari was a great way to ease concerns about home form, Nicolas Anelka helping himself to a hat-trick with Alex and Frank Lampard, naturally, also on the scoresheet.

From the first whistle, the Blues were in the right frame of mind for this one, and once the breakthrough was made against a deep-lying visiting side, it was only ever a question of how many.

The Blues good form this week has been assisted by a stable team selection and with Joe Cole over his ankle niggle, Scolari made just one change from Hull, Alex the natural replacement for hamstring victim Carvalho.

As announced the day before, Drogba was on the bench having recovered from his injuries in Romania exactly one month ago. He was joined there by a new face - holding midfielder Mineiro ready to take his place having been signed in the wake of Essien's September injury.

It had been raining for several hours in west London prior to kick off and that weather continued throughout the game.

Malouda skimmed the first Chelsea shot across the damp turf on three minutes, a couple of yards wide of the left-hand post.

Six minutes later there was a chance for the other Cole, making a rare run inside the six-yard box after Anelka had battled with two defenders, but the ball took a touch off his trailing leg and the danger was cleared.

The first on-target effort in this all-Chelsea opening to the game was Malouda's after Ashley Cole had nicked possession. From the edge of the area, he drew a full-length save from Fulop.

Deco a minute later and with 15 minutes on the clock, rattled the crossbar with a dipping shot from the same distance. Unlike the Liverpool game, the chances were coming.

The odds on it being Alex making the breakthrough from just three yards out rather than 43 would have been considerable beforehand. But that was exactly what the impressive Brazilian did when he chose to continue a run straight through the middle. He was perfectly placed to tap in Joe Cole's near-post shot after Fulop had only pushed it across the goalmouth.

That was Chelsea's 1000^th Premier League goal and the 1001^st could have come from the same unlikely source. In a very similar move, Lampard cut back Deco's defence-splitting ball and Alex was there again, sliding in, but Anelka showed killer instinct by making doubly sure the goal-bound ball made it over the line. There was an offside possibility, but not in the minds of the officials.

Just 29 minutes were on the clock and a healthy lead was in place.

It wasn't all going perfectly. Ashley Cole had been limping since a challenge with Malbranque and on 36 minutes, it was decided to withdraw him. Bridge of course was the replacement.

Tainio was booked on 38 minutes for a heavy tackle on Joe Cole just inside the Chelsea half and then with the stoppage time board having just been taken down by the fourth official, Chelsea put the win beyond all doubt before heading into the dressing room for a towel down.

It was a third goal all about mobility and one-touch passing - Cole and Lampard making the first incision before Malouda passed square for Anelka to plunge the knife into Sunderland's lingering hopes.

Roy Keane, who watched the second half from up in the stands rather than the bench where he had stewed in the opening period, made two switches at half-time, having rung the changes before the game. He was not rewarded for either of those decisions.

Goal number four, coming five minutes into the second-half, was another milestone. Frank Lampard scored his 100^th league goal with his third header of the season, the goal owing a huge amount to Joe Cole's quality, working his way round the outside of McCartney with skill and power to cross perfectly. Cole was having a big influence on this game.

It took just two minutes more for the fifth and for Anelka to register his first competitive Chelsea hat-trick. He hadn't scored two in a Blues game before.

This time the cross came from the left, off the boot of Malouda following Terry winning the ball and driving the attack forwards, and although the keeper initially saved the shot, it looped up and he was powerless to stop it bouncing in.

Malouda was a whisker away from inadvertently joining the scorers when the ball bounced off a defender and onto his head after a Bosingwa cross. It cleared the cross bar by inches.

Drogba was introduced on 62 minutes for Joe Cole. Sunderland's day was not going to get any easier.

Cech had to tip away from Cissé on the ground midway through the half, his only other action the safe-handling of a cross to his near-post in the first half. Our keeper couldn't have hoped for an easier ride on his way to notching up his 100^th Chelsea clean sheet.

On 74 minutes there was a Chelsea debut - Mineiro introduced for Anelka to play alongside Mikel. There can't be many better times to sample a new country's football than this.

Still Malouda, another who had played his part, couldn't get his goal. This time his header bounced into Fulop's arms after the ball had swung back and forth across the area via the boots of Bosingwa and Lampard and the head of Drogba.

That was the last time the Sunderland keeper was properly worked as the final soggy minutes were safely played out, plenty of energy conserved for an important trip to Italy.

This was a job very well done. Chelsea were back on top of the table for a few hours at least.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry (c), A Cole (Bridge 36); Mikel; J Cole (Drogba 62), Deco, Lampard, Malouda; Anelka (Mineiro 74).
Scorers Alex 26, Anelka 29, 45+1, 52, Lampard 50.

Sunderland (4-4-2): Fulop; Chimbonda, Nosworthy, Ferdinand, McCartney; Malbranque (Henderson h-t), Whitehead (c), Tainio, Richardson; Jones (Cissé 57), Waghorn (Diouf h-t).
Booked Tainio 38

The full game can be seen on Chelsea TV from 6pm on Sunday.