The scoreline suggests respectability, but the actuality was different. This was as comprehensive as any victory by such a conventional margin could be. A 2-0 marmalising, a 2-0 whitewash, a 2-0 knockout and then some. If Chelsea did not push on to record their biggest win under Luiz Felipe Scolari, it was only because so comprehensive was their superiority in the first half that the second was played as a glorified training exercise.

Aston Villa’s only threat came as a result of an unusually hesitant display by John Terry at centre back, which may have been caused by a nagging back injury or anxiety at his latest defensive partner, the unconvincing Branislav Ivanovic.

Either way, Chelsea defined the match at each end yesterday. Left to their own devices, Villa would have been anonymous. Bad news for Gareth Barry and the World Cup hopefuls Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young in front of Fabio Capello, the England manager; good news for Frank Lampard, who turned in one of the great individual performances of the season to end any debate over who should be at the centre of the midfield action for the national team.

Lampard was exceptional, the driving force behind all that was good about Chelsea, the architect of the first goal and the frustrated creator of near-misses that stretched into double figures. He has grown stronger, as ever, with each passing week of the season, but this was another level. It reminded of the form that made him Footballer of the Year in 2005 and if Chelsea deliver on this early promise and he maintains this standard of performance, he will be a contender again. There were strong displays peppered throughout the Chelsea lineup, but Lampard was the star.

It is to the credit of Scolari that from the moment he arrived, he made it his mission to stop Lampard’s move to Inter Milan. Scolari plays the diplomat, insisting that transfer policy is a boardroom decision, not the sole preserve of the manager, but there is no doubt that the desire to keep Lampard intensified the moment he walked through the door. He knew what Chelsea had in Lampard and if he did not, one look at the statistics would have told him.

So outstanding were Chelsea in the first half yesterday that Lampard spent the last 15 minutes playing as a surrogate support striker. Usually diligent, he decided, correctly, that Villa posed no threat and began lurking in the space behind Nicolas Anelka. With José Bosingwa and Ashley Cole – who is hitting the heights of his Arsenal form – pushing up on the flanks and Michael Ballack striding imperiously through the centre, Villa could not get out of their half.

Even if they were unfortunate to run into Chelsea on such a good day, this demonstrated how far Villa have to go if they are to pose a threat to the Champions League elite. There was no shame in losing, but to be so comprehensively outplayed raises some awkward questions.

So plentiful were Chelsea’s chances that they fall into individual categories: five brought saves from Brad Friedel, the sole performer of worth in the Villa team, three went narrowly wide, one hit the bar, two went just over the bar and one missed the outstretched boot of Florent Malouda at the far post by inches. It would not have flattered Chelsea had they led by eight at half-time and had a world-class forward in the form of Didier Drogba been playing, it could have been embarrassing for Villa.

They will have been thankful for the presence of Anelka, who appeared on the scoresheet because of the sheer weight of chances created. It should have been impossible for a striker not to have scored yesterday, although Franco Di Santo, the half-time replacement when Anelka suffered a muscle spasm, managed it.

Chelsea’s two goals had wrapped the match up by the time Di Santo appeared, however. Indeed, there seemed little way back for Villa after Joe Cole opened the scoring in the 21st minute. It was Malouda, surging into the Villa penalty area, whose momentum created the opening but Lampard whose vision sealed it. He made an exquisite pass to Joe Cole, steering the ball around Anelka and taking Villa’s back line out of the game, and his England teammate left Friedel no chance. Cole suffered an ankle injury in the second half and departed in pain, but Scolari said that he will be available to play for England with three days’ rest, although whether he gets the nod ahead of Steven Gerrard is another matter.

The second goal showed the value of persistence after Ashley Cole’s cross from the left had found Ballack, only for Friedel to save at close range. Anelka had another go, but Friedel was equal to this, too. The ball returning to Anelka’s feet, he was third time lucky. After that, Villa made a first inroad into the Chelsea penalty area through John Carew, but it was too late for a revival.

The “what might have been” round-up for Chelsea runs as follows. Saves by Friedel from Ballack (4min), a free kick by Lampard (28min), Malouda (32min), a header by Salomon Kalou (68min) and Lampard again (83min). A header wide from Lampard (17min). Shots wide from Anelka one on one (10min) and Lampard (88min). Anelka’s shot against the bar (25min). A cross by Lampard that eluded Malouda by a bootlace (57min) and miscellaneous chances over the bar, one from Ballack after a goalmouth scramble (63min), another deflected over by Martin Laursen from Kalou a minute later.

Villa had a couple of harum-scarum opportunities, but little to compare. Petr Cech cleared from Agbonlahor in the final significant move of the match and Agbonlahor steered his pass wide of Carew from a tight angle on the one occasion when Cech appeared beaten.

Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, admonished himself after the match for even half-dreaming of defeating Chelsea. On this form, he will not be the only one needing to scale down ambitions this season.

Chelsea ratings (4-3-3)

P Cech 6 J Bosingwa 7 B Ivanovic 5 J Terry 5 A Cole 8 M Ballack 8 J O Mikel 6 F Lampard 9 J Cole 7 N Anelka 7 F Malouda 7 Substitutes F Di Santo 5 (for Anelka, 46min), S Kalou 6 (for J Cole, 57), J Belletti (for Malouda, 81). Not used Hilário, W Bridge, P Ferreira, M Mancienne.

Aston Villa ratings (4-4-1-1)

B Friedel 6 L Young 5 C Davies 5 M Laursen 5 N Shorey 5 N Reo-Coker 5 S Petrov 5 G Barry 5 A Young 5 G Agbonlahor 5 J Carew 5 Substitutes C Cuéllar 5 (for Davies, 46), J Milner 5 (for L Young, 46) M Harewood (for Carew, 71). Not used B Guzan, Z Knight, M Salifou, C Gardner.

Referee C Foy Attendance 41,593