Chelsea clung on to three very valuable points at home to Bolton despite a spirited comeback from the visitors.

Michael Ballack had sent Chelsea into a deserved lead just before half-time before a Frank Lampard penalty either side of Didier Drogba goals made it 4-0 just after the hour.

Bolton though, seemingly well beaten, battled back into the game courtesy of scrappy goals from Andy O'Brien, Chris Basham and Matt Taylor. In the final 10 minutes there were chances for both teams, but the Blues hung on for the win.

With this game sandwiched between Champions League ties with Liverpool, Guus Hiddink opted to rest the recently returned Michael Essien, while allowing Alex a breather from central defensive duties.

In his place came Ricardo Carvalho, without a start since Manchester City four weeks ago, John Mikel Obi returning in place of Essien to fill the holding role he played at Newcastle seven days ago.

Visitors Bolton arrived at Stamford Bridge with a win and three draws from their last five visits, Gary Megson naming an unchanged side from that which beat Middlesbrough so resoundingly a week ago.

They began this game brightly too. A little over a minute had passed before Taylor, also a goalscorer at the Bridge last season, surprised everybody by shooting from distance with a free-kick. Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal was as caught out as anybody, and had to use every inch of his 6'5 frame to get across goal and divert the ball wide.

In typical bank holiday weekend fashion, the skies were grey as the game kicked off, floodlights shining bright across the perfect surface.

The Blues kept the ball on the ground well seven minutes in, Ballack and Lampard linking up to allow Drogba space to shoot. The Ivorian went for the chip from 25 yards, but Jussi Jaaskelainen was alert to push it away.

Florent Malouda shot high shortly afterwards and Lampard fired straight at the goalkeeper, while Bolton's Kevin Davies flashed an effort just wide of Cech's right-hand post.

Chelsea had looked comfortable in possession but when Ballack surrendered the ball to Ricardo Gardner in the centre circle, Bolton could break. The Jamaican ran towards goal before playing it wide to Davies. His cross from the left was accurate, but Taylor's looping header went over. He would get things right later.

Back in control, Ballack was fouled just over 30 yards from goal by Gavin McCann, presenting Lampard with a shooting opportunity. He rifled goalwards but again Jaaskelainen palmed away.

It was the first of a run of Chelsea chances in a five-minute spell. Drogba headed Ashley Cole's cross wide and Malouda's drive was blocked, before Salomon Kalou headed wide and Cole himself shot well off target.

With those openings in mind, it had been a promising first half-hour for the home side, without it being a convincing performance. Bolton were beginning to sit deeper and deeper, centre-back pairing Danny Shittu and Gary Cahill just about managing to contain Drogba.

Many in the crowd thought Ballack had opened the scoring after 35 minutes, but his piledriver, which left Jaaskelainen standing and watching was just too high. Mikel did manage to hit the target but from 35 yards, his low shot was never likely to beat the keeper.

Finally the goal did arrive and it was Ballack that delivered, exchanging passes inside the area with Kalou, whose pull back was weighted perfectly for the onrushing German to fire high beyond the dive of the Finn.

Before the break the 23-year-old winger had a similar opportunity to pick out a team-mate, but this time found the feet of a Bolton defender. That allowed them to break clear, as far as the halfway line, where Taylor was fouled by Drogba.

From the free-kick they produced their best chance of the half as the ball dropped to lone forward Johan Elmander. His snapshot volley looked closer than it was, dropping a few feet wide of Cech's goal.

Just before the half-time whistle blew, Davies sent the ball whistling just wide when the ball dropped at his feet. This late resurgence from Bolton would have given Hiddink a little to think about.

Shittu, who had been limping towards the end of the first half was replaced at the interval by O'Brien. He had been on the field three minutes when Drogba smashed home Chelsea's second.

Kalou was fouled wide on the edge of the Bolton area, and Lampard squared the free-kick low into the area, where the 31-year-old lost his marker and finished with power.

He could have had a second two minutes later when Lampard miscued his shot, but he couldn't quite adapt his feet quickly enough to bring the ball under control.

The midfielder hit one more effort wide before finding the net from a penalty. Gretar Steinsson had been adjudged by Peter Walton to have handled the midfielder's rising pass inside the area, and Lampard stepped up to send it low into the bottom-left corner, Jaaskelainen guessing the wrong way.

Two minutes later it was four for Chelsea and two for Drogba, as he bundled Malouda's corner over the line from close range, after Branislav Ivanovic had won a key header in the opponents' penalty area, not for the first time this week.

Such breathing space allowed for legs to be rested. Drogba and Lampard were withdrawn, Nicolas Anelka and Deco replacing them.

This prompted relaxation in the Chelsea backline. Ballack had to hook off his own line but Gardner headed the clearance back into the area where O'Brien was waiting to help it over the line, getting to the loose ball before Cech.

The Czech goalkeeper will have been furious to let in a second shortly afterwards. Steinsson was allowed to cross from the Bolton right, all the way over to the far post where Davies looped a free header back across goal to Chris Basham, who poked into the top corner, Chelsea defenders failing to mark.

When Davies was allowed to win another header from Jaaskelainen's long kick 12 minutes from time, the Blues should have been alert enough to clear their lines, but when you switch off it is often hard to switch back on, and so it proved.

Taylor slipped between two defenders and managed to head over Cech for a third goal. Alarm bells were surely ringing, where 10 minutes earlier there was blissful peace.

Bolton continued to probe, sending trademark long balls into the Chelsea box but now Cech started to show his class, plucking two crosses out of the air while under pressure.

Still there were chances though, the latest falling to Gardner on the left of the area. Fortunately he shot over, but they were being invited forward as the Blues failed to retain possession up the field.

Bolton weren't doing so well at keeping it in their own third either. O' Brien's backpass was criminally short, Anelka pounced but Jaaskelainen got a touch, slowing the shot on its way to goal and allowing Steinsson to clear.

Then Malouda was denied with a fine low save as the game entered injury time. In those four minutes Steinsson shot wide before Jaaskelainen went up for two corners.

He caused chaos, Davies won his headers and Cech flapped, but somehow the ball stayed out, and Chelsea stayed in front.

Three big points were won, but we could have done without the drama. On to Tuesday and the Champions League. Such shortages in defence will not do then.

By Andy Jones

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Ballack, Mikel, Lampard (Deco 65); Kalou, Drogba (Anelka 65), Malouda.

Goals Ballack 40, Drogba 48, 63, Lampard (pen) 60

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Shittu (O' Brien h-t), Cahill, Samuel; Davies, Muamba, McCann (Cohen 82), Gardner, Taylor; Elmander (Basham 66).

Goals O'Brien 69, Basham 73, Taylor 78