Bolton Wanderers 0; Chelsea 2: Chelsea have never been a club to be taken seriously. They have had their moments of brilliance and any number of exceptional players, but nobody has ever expected them to be anything other than ephemeral, popping up from time to time with a touch of the virtuoso to liven up a dull season.

Not for them the fierce passion needed to win week-in, week-out - to dominate, rather than simply entertain.

Now they have no choice. Roman Abramovich's millions have meant they must eschew their dilettante past and present a serious face to the soccer world; to grow in stature from season to season and walk hand-in-hand with success. So quickly has this change in outlook happened, it still all seems a bit preposterous.

Yet assuming Abramovich does not get tired of his toy, and that money can indeed change the spots of a leopard, everybody had better get used to it.

And refrain from laughing out loud when the suggestion is made, as on this occasion by their centre-back John Terry, that the power in the Premiership is shifting towards London.

If history suggests this form of capital punishment is unlikely, the exceptional wealth of Chelsea's Russian owner may see history declared bunk during the next decade. But, given their past, it is an equally fair bet that Chelsea will revert to type.

For the moment they remain betwixt and between, and this season will probably win nothing. It is possible, though unlikely, that Arsenal will falter in the Premiership, while you would expect Arsene Wenger's team win over two legs in Europe.

"We can't put our finger on why we cannot beat Arsenal," said Terry. Because you are not good enough, would seem to be the answer.

If this match had been a blind wine tasting, Bolton would have been awarded the gold medal at half-time while everyone sneered at the Premier Crus Chelsea as being thin, lacking in character and exceptionally overpriced. Bolton should have put the match beyond Chelsea's reach; instead they were comfortably beaten.

The catalyst was Joe Cole, who replaced the listless Hernan Crespo. The Argentinian's most significant act had come before the match started when he walked over to Ivan Campo, after the one minute's silence for the dead in Madrid, and put his arm around him in a gesture of sympathy. It was a touching moment.

Crespo and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink never gelled, while Cole provided the link between midfield and attack that had previously been all but absent.

"Joe was frustrated at being on the bench, and he changed the game for us," said Terry, who took the opening goal with the aplomb of a striker.

These are hard times for Bolton who have now conceded two goals or more in five of their last six matches, and soft goals at that. "It's a cause for considerable concern," said Sam Allardyce. "Goals have always been difficult for us to come by in the Premiership, and if we need three to win a match we know it's not going to happen."

The Bolton manager does not have the players to make radical changes, nor will he be inclined to change a system that is defensive anyway.

In the first half, during which Allardyce believed his side should have had one penalty, and might have had two, his team responded to recent setbacks as a unit, but there was a lack of collective discipline over both Chelsea's goals - most notably the second, by Damien Duff.

"Our players decided not to defend when Chelsea took the lead. They went on the attack and left themselves exposed," said Allardyce.

For the second time in two weeks Allardyce criticised the referee - Mike Riley at the League Cup final, Graham Poll here - but the fault lay with his players, and he knew it. "We felt like we'd been mugged," he said. "God knows what Chelsea will do when they play well."

Guardian Service