Starting top of the table against champions Manchester United next weekend is more important to Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti than the manner of their victory over Bolton today.

Chelsea hammered the ten-man Wanderers 4-0 at the Reebok Stadium to secure that position at the top, four days after beating Bolton by the same score in the Carling Cup at Stamford Bridge.

A Frank Lampard penalty in first-half injury time set Chelsea on their way, with further efforts from Deco, Didier Drogba and a Zat Knight own goal convincingly settled the issue.

Ancelotti's team have now won 14 of their 16 games this season in Europe, the Carling Cup and Premier League.

But those two defeats had been back-to-back reverses in the league ahead of the trip to Bolton.

He said: "It was our aim to make sure that we were still top of the league when we play Manchester United next week.

"We can now play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday with confidence and prepare for a really great match against United."

He added: "We accepted the criticism after losing our last two away league games at Wigan and Aston Villa, and we have responded very well.

"It was important to improve after not doing well. After the Villa game we have certainly improved and we are still top of the league."

Ancelotti's team were never under any real threat, despite a spirited Bolton display. He said: "I feel we are doing very well at the moment, this was a good performance.

"It was difficult in the first-half, Bolton were very strong and fought hard against our midfield.

"After the penalty we maintained our concentration in the second-half and won a very important match.

"We have Manchester United now next in the league, but we have an important Champions League game with Atletico Madrid first, and that is our first priority.

"We must concentrate on our place in the Champions League group, but we are happy with where we are in the Premier League.

"Bolton did their best with a different system to the one they used in midweek, and it was a problem."

Bolton boss Gary Megson was critical of the penalty decision that gave Chelsea their opener and resulted in defender JLloyd Samuel being sent-off.

Megson has also run the risk of upsetting the FA with a remark about referee Peter Walton, who has been involved in controversial decisions with Bolton in the past.

Megson said: "It was a soft penalty, I have seen them given and not given.

"Samuel didn't do anything wrong other than to try to get at the ball, I have no problem with (Didier) Drogba, who took the ball across his body and there was going to be contact.

"The referee had a decision to make, and when you get Peter Walton, penalties and Bolton there is only one thing that is going to happen."

Megson added: "Any of the top six teams playing against ten men and with a lead would not quite have a stroll, but they would do the right things at the right time and that is what Chelsea did.

"They made nine changes from midweek, and they had plenty to spare. But there has to be some reality here, we were playing against a club who have spent £200m on players, they are one of the best teams in the world and they will have an advantage.

"They looked very strong, very motivated and they wanted to win everything put in front of them.

"We may have been beaten 4-0, but we were terrific. We matched them in their diamond midfield formation, we didn't struggle against it.

"But where as they had Lampard, we had Chris Basham; where they had Michael Ballack we had Tamir Cohen and where they had Deco we had Fabrice Muamba. And Chung Yong Lee was up against Michael Essien.

"You pay big money for that quality, but we worked really hard man-for-man against all four of those players."