High-flying Chelsea crushed Burnley with a destructive display of flowing football to make it maximum points in their first four Premier League games.

Burnley's Martin Paterson wasted an early chance but Nicolas Anelka hooked in the opener just before half-time after Didier Drogba's square pass.

Frank Lampard chipped in for Michael Ballack to head the second and Ashley Cole volleyed in a stunning third.

Burnley's Brian Jensen was inspired in goal as Chelsea eased to victory.

It had been 35 years since the two sides met in the top flight - a 2-1 win to Chelsea at Turf Moor in 1974 - and apart from a couple of early scares the result was never in doubt for the rampant Blues.

Despite claiming the scalps of Manchester United and Everton in an impressive start to their Premier League campaign, Burnley began the match like a team overawed in the company of their west London opponents.

On the same turf where they dumped Chelsea out of the Carling Cup last year in a penalty shoot-out, the Clarets could easily have conceded three times in the opening six minutes.

The best of these chances fell to Anelka, chosen as the second layer, alongside the effervescent Deco, of manager Carlo Ancelotti's 'Christmas tree' behind Drogba.

With Andre Bikey dithering on the ball, the French striker stole the ball and was through on goal but after Anelka's sloppy second touch, a relieved Jensen - impressive throughout - was able to smother the ball.

For all the confidence and swagger you would expect from a team who have not lost a league game since March, the hosts amazingly allowed Burnley to have two early opportunities.

Ancelotti - Our best match so far

Midfielder Chris McCann weaved his way through the defence and chipped wastefully over the bar, and then Paterson almost made Lampard pay for falling asleep on the edge of the box.

Defender Tyrone Mears nicked the ball off the English midfielder and squared the ball to Paterson who skewed his shot disappointingly wide of Peter Cech's right post.

The Blues, though, kept piling forward with Michael Essien and Deco dominating the midfield and it seemed only Jensen in the sticks was the only man capable of preventing a goal.

The Danish shot-stopper continued to take centre stage in the first-half, denying Ballack, a John Terry left-foot volley and a close-range blast from Lampard.

But with half-time looming, the opener arrived and fully deserved it was too.

The tireless Essien linked up well with Drogba down the right and after squaring a pass across to the back post, Anelka, under close supervision by defender Clarke Carlisle, slid the ball in off the right post.

It would have been a deflated away changing room and worse was to follow after their interval cups of tea.

Anelka, finding room on the left, fed in Lampard who chipped over to the German Ballack to head the ball firmly into the back of the net.

Coyle - We have to pick ourselves up

With the comfort of a two-goal lead, Burnley looked shocked and with the shackles removed from the hungry Chelsea players, another goal soon arrived making it three strikes in seven minutes either side of half-time.

Lampard was again involved and after a cute one-two, Cole burst into the box to volley a stunning strike into the top left corner to notch only the third goal for his club.

The Blue tide showed no sign of stopping with an Essien shot pushed wide by Jensen, and the keeper was immediately in the thick of the action, tipping over another Ballack header.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle had spent 88 minutes screaming at his hard-working but out-classed players, but as the match neared its finish, the lively Scot even found time to laugh as he watched Mears clear Salomon Kalou's effort off the line.

Chelsea defender John Terry:
"The overall performance, the work-rate, working for each other all over the pitch shows we are desperate to win this Premier League.

"In the first half we had a lot of chances and maybe should have scored more. They made it difficult and overall I thought we were fantastic."

Burnley boss Owen Coyle:
"Chelsea were the better side and deservedly got the three points. I was a bit disappointed.

"I thought we competed well in the first half and there was a suspicion of offside with the goal.

"Then we lost two early goals in the second half but in the first half we competed well and had a couple of opportunities."