Chelsea's sumptuous 2-0 win over Aston Villa was almost too good for words.

That seemed to be the conclusion to be drawn from what was surely one of the shortest post-match press conferences Luiz Felipe Scolarai has ever given.

Managers are guaranteed a grilling when things go wrong, but what do you need to ask when they are as good as they were at Stamford Bridge yesterday?

All pre-match talk about an improving Villa taking advantage of an injury-ravaged Chelsea to end the Blues' 85-match unbeaten home run in the Prtemier League vanished in a blur of super-effeicient passing and movement.

The Midlanders were never at the races and the message must be: Heaven help the other less able opponents once Scolari's men are back to full strength.

There was no Didier Drogba, no Deco, no Ricardo Carvalho, no Alex and no Michael Essien. But there was not the slightest hint of a shortfall. And there was still Frank Lampard around, who played as well as he has ever done in a blue shirt.

Always available, always linking play, always tidying up when a ball was there to be won, Lampard was the single most important reason why the Blues performed like a perfectly tuned machine.

He created the first goal for Joe Cole and might have scored himself with a close range header. The only mystery was that Chelsea did not cash in on their overwhelming superiority more than a second time through Nicolas Anelka.

Scolari contented himself by expressing satisfaction that his team would go into the international break in such a strong position - and with the chance for one or two of the injured party to recuperate.

It was left to Villa boss Martin O'Neill to dish out the eulogies.

"I thought Chelsea were absolutely brilliant today," he said. "We would have had to play at the top of our game to compete. It was a harsh lesson.

"They were absolutely terrific. We've been playing well and came in with plenty of confidence but we were well beaten today. Some of the very best sides in Europe might have been beaten today. Lampard was absolutely outstanding."

O'Neill also reflected: "The top four have been playing brilliantly for some time and it's really difficult to break into that. However, the gulf may be great but it's not unbridgeable."

O'Neill may be correct about that final observation but he seemed to make it dutifully rather than with any real conviction. On days like this, there seems little hope for Arsenal and Liverpool keeping up the pace with last season's top two, never mind all the others peering up at the glass ceiling.