GATHER as many elite players in one dressing room as Roman Abramovich has and a certain haughty resilience emerges; this Chelsea team never accept slights gladly. Serious questions were asked after successive Premier League away losses at Wigan and Aston Villa, the response has been emphatic. Four games, four wins. Seventeen goals scored, not a single one conceded.

Concerns about set-piece defending have given way to clean sheets. Queries over the narrowness of Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield have ceded to an admiration of its effectiveness when Chelsea score first. If an opposition comprising Atletico Madrid on the point of sacking their manager, a swine-flu affected Blackburn and two variants of Bolton has not been top-level, the Blues’ reply has.

“We accepted this criticism because the first thing we had was self criticism,” said Ancelotti. “This is normal when we don’t do well, it is important to improve. And I think this team has improved very well. At this moment, we are doing very, very well.

Next Sunday should bring a more telling moment. Then, Manchester United will arrive at Stamford Bridge aiming to re-establish the question marks in broad red pen. “Our aim was to maintain our two-point advantage,” said Ancelotti. “Now we have to prepare a fantastic match against Manchester.”

Some subtle adjustments have improved Chelsea’s chances. Deco is a more natural point to the Italian’s central diamond than Frank Lampard, who prefers the increased involvement of playing closer to his defence.

The efficiency with which Michael Ballack distributes the ball and the intelligence with which he chooses his position strengthen the overall effect, while Nicolas Anelka is developing a style of operating as a central striker who drifts effectively into wide areas. Against Bolton, all were irrepressible. No Premier League team hits more passes on target than Chelsea; none hit fewer than Bolton. Overwhelmed by Chelsea’s League Cup XI in midweek, Gary Megson made six changes of personnel, then asked his players to “dictate the tempo” by attempting to mark and harry Chelsea’s midfielders into mistakes.

It was an odd tactic against opponents of superior individual ability. Deco, Ballack and Lampard happily traded their positions, dragging their intended shepherds into unaccustomed places and creating multiple angles of attack for the front runners.

Without a league clean sheet this season, Bolton’s defenders were nervy and error-prone, opening frequent paths to goals that only Jussi Jaaskelainen’s excellence prevented.

Where Bolton almost prospered were in the simple areas. Two early set-pieces presented Johan Elmander with free headers, while route-one long balls offered further opportunities.

Elmander nodded on for Kevin Davies to volley past; Davies twice outjumped John Terry to set up his fellow forward.

Then Bolton’s defence imploded. Deco captured the ball near the left touchline and found Ballack with a diagonal pass.

As the German sprinted toward the home back four, he selected the perfect angle to send Didier Drogba behind the defence. With a goal seeming likely, Jlloyd Samuel guaranteed it by cutting the African down in the area and allowing Lampard to finish from 12 yards. “A soft penalty,” said Megson, inaccurately. “I thought it was engineered well — if Drogba keeps the ball on his right-hand side Jlloyd would not get sent off trying to get it. Drogba brings it to his left side and Peter Walton signals a penalty.”

With Bolton’s midfield cut to three following a reshuffle after Samuel’s red card, it was open house for Chelsea. Drogba was three times released upon Jaaskelainen and three times thwarted. Anelka found the Finn equally hard to bypass, yet further goals arrived regardless. A moment of studied composure saw Deco drag Anelka’s pass back to his left foot before sweeping past the keeper.

Ricardo Carvalho masqueraded as a winger in beating a marker before crossing with the outside of his right boot for Branislav Ivanovic and Zat Knight to challenge, with the ball going in off the Bolton defender.

As the clock ran down, Anelka stood the ball up for Deco, who immediately chested it down to Lampard. A no-look back heel set up Drogba to finally beat Jaaskelainen. “The team is compact, stronger,” said Deco. “Nobody complains when they are substituted, mentally we are good. We are putting together a good season. We need to continue this to win the league.”

BOLTON: Jasskelainen 7, Ricketts 5, Cahill 5, Knight 5, Samuel 3, Muamba 6 (M Davies 65min), Basham 5 (Robinson h-t, 5), Lee 5 (Gardner h-t, 5), Cohen 6, Elmander 6, K Davies 6

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Ivanovic 7, Carvalho 7, Terry 5, Ferreira 6, Essien 6, Ballack 7, Lampard 7, Deco 7, Drogba 6, Anelka 7