Premier League: Chelsea 6 Queens Park Rangers 1

Fernando Torres scored a hat-trick to inspire Chelsea’s 6-1 rout of Queens Park Rangers in Premier League action at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Daniel Sturridge put the hosts ahead inside the first minute, before John Terry nodded in a second.

Torres then finally displayed his form of old to net a superb hat-trick, before Florent Malouda notched Chelsea’s other and Djibril Cisse nabbed a consolation for QPR.

Chelsea dominated from the outset, with Sturridge putting the hosts ahead with just 46 seconds on the clock, letting fly with a superb strike on his weaker right foot that beat Paddy Kenny high at his near post.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side went close to making it two after 11 minutes when Juan Mata’s outswinging cross was headed goalwards by Michael Essien only to be headed off the line. Moments later, a sublime chipped effort by Frank Lampard forced the backtracking Kenny to tip over the bar.

With the hosts threatening from every set-piece, they made it two for the match in the 13th minute after Terry stole a march on his marker Clint Hill, out-jumping his opposite number and nodding home a Mata corner.

The Blues raced into a 3-0 lead on 18 minutes courtesy of a coolly taken Torres goal, the Spaniard rounding Kenny and slotting home after being played in by Salomon Kalou.

QPR’s sluggish display was typified in the 28th minute when Kenny dropped Nedum Onuoha’s nod back to him from point-blank range, with Torres pouncing on the mistake to score his second of the match.

With the game all but over before the half-hour mark, the visitors were reduced to hopeful shots from distance for the remainder of the half, without ever really threatening Petr Cech’s goal.

The second half began much in the same way that the first finished, with Chelsea controlling play and coming close through Mata in the 50th minute.

In a rare foray forward for QPR, Jamie Mackie forced Cech into a fantastic save, the Chelsea custodian tipping wide a vicious strike from 25 yards out.

Torres, chasing his first hat-trick in a Chelsea shirt, went close again from the edge of the area moments later, but struck his effort straight at Kenny.

The former Liverpool striker did not have to wait long to seal his treble, finishing clinically into the far right hand corner of Kenny’s goal after a delightful Mata pass.

Chelsea made it six in the 79th minute when substitute Malouda tapped home from just outside the six-yard box, after the QPR backline were pulled apart by a driving Ramires run and precise cut-back.

Cisse powered home a drive past the diving Cech in the 84th minute after Chelsea failed to play the ball out of defence, but the consolation did little to mitigate a woeful display from Mark Hughes’ relegation-threatened side.