Chelsea confirmed its return to form with a ruthless 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday to keep a foothold in the Premier League title race.

If ever there was a fixture for the champion to guarantee a win it is away to Bolton and it clinched its eighth victory in a row at the Reebok Stadium with a stunning strike by Didier Drogba and goals by Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires.

Those eight games have produced 18 goals for the Londoners while Bolton has failed to find the net in any of them.

Having taken 10 points from 11 games in a dire run, back-to-back victories have stopped the rot and Chelsea moved clear in fourth spot on 41 points.

Manchester City is third on 45, Arsenal second on 46 and Manchester United, which has a game in hand at Blackpool, is top on 48.

Bolton, which has taken one point from its last five matches and slipped to 10th, was chasing shadows in the end but, having lost only once at home previously this season, it had started confidently and took the game to the visitors.

It was stunned after 11 minutes, though, when Drogba let rip from 30 meters out and the dipping, swerving ball left Jussi Jaaskelainen clutching fresh air. Petr Cech dived full length to touch a Matt Taylor header round the post in a rare sight of goal for the hosts and just before halftime Florent Malouda, who scored the winner in Chelsea's 1-0 home win over Bolton last month, threaded a shot inside the near post from a tight angle.

As Bolton pressed forward looking to find a way back into the game it was repeatedly caught on the break with Chelsea showing the sort of zip that has been sorely missing recently.

Anelka seized on a loose ball to lash in the third after 56 minutes and Brazil midfielder Ramires sidefooted in his first goal for the club to complete a repeat last year's 4-0 win on the same ground.

Drogba, named man of the match after his most impressive performance for months, was delighted.

"I took my chance, I had the confidence to try and the manager said to me to shoot when I had the chance," he told Sky Sports. "Maybe before I was thinking too much, this one I just wanted to shoot."

Manager Carlo Ancelotti said Chelsea was still trying to sign Brazil defender David Luiz from Benfica, adding that the clubs had yet to reach an agreement.