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Kalou treble takes Chelsea top

April 25, 2010 10:59 pm | Updated 10:59 pm IST - London

Salomon Kalou struck a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Stoke City 7-0 to return to the top of the Premier League.

Kalou struck twice in eight first-half minutes and Frank Lampard then added a penalty to give Chelsea a 3-0 lead by half-time.

The Ivorian completed his hat-trick, Lampard added his second in the second-half and late goals from Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda gave Chelsea seven for the third time this season.

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Chelsea lead Manchester United by a point, both sides having two games to come.

The crunch is likely to come next Sunday as Chelsea travel to Liverpool and United go to Sunderland.

Chelsea dominated from the off, and when their opener came on 24 minutes, it had been long expected.

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Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen made a fine double save to deny Frank Lampard and then Ashley Cole, making his first start since breaking an ankle on February 10, and then pulled off an astonishing reflex save to his left to keep out a Didier Drogba header.

Drogba then blasted over having rounded Sorensen, but when he took down a crossfield ball with the back of his heel, his cross was perfect for Kalou to nod in his second of the season.

Kalou’s second, eight minutes later, was rather more controversial.

Sorensen saved Lampard’s drive, and Kalou lunged in two-footed to force the ball over the line.

The challenge seemed reckless, and Sorensen had to be given oxygen before being carried off with a suspected broken elbow.

Kalou was then tripped — possibly just outside the box — by Robert Huth for a penalty that Lampard converted two minutes before half-time.

The pace dropped in the second-half, but Kalou made it 4-0 after 68 minutes, running on to a Lampard ball and beating Asmir Begovic at the second attempt.

With nine minutes remaining, Lampard flicked in his 20th Premier League goal of the season from Joe Cole’s cross.

Then Sturridge rounded Begovic to score his first Premier League goal for Chelsea, and Malouda turned in a Joe Cole cross to complete the scoring.

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