By James McManus, Goal.com
A first hat trick by Fernando Torres in a Chelsea shirt was more than enough to help see off a ragged QPR side that was simply never at the races as Roberto Di Matteo's side ran out a comfortable 6-1 winner at Stamford Bridge to keep up with its rivals in the race for fourth spot.
In what will go down as a great day for Chelsea, the result was never in doubt after Daniel Sturridge put the home side ahead inside the first minute, before John Terry nodded in a second. Fernando Torres then finally displayed the form which prompted the club to part with such a sizable fee for his services with a superb hat trick, before Florent Malouda and Djibril Cisse notched the others.
Interim Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo made six changes to the side that triumphed over Barcelona in the Nou Camp, with Torres the main beneficiary coming into the side in place of Didier Drogba up top.
Paulo Ferreira and Jose Bosingwa replaced Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic at the back, while Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Sturridge all returned to the starting eleven in place of Ramires, Raul Meireles and John Obi Mikel.
Mark Hughes made just two changes to the QPR side that beat Tottenham 1-0 last weekend, with Akos Buzsaky restored to the starting lineup at the expense of Samba Diakite in midfield while Djibril Cisse started up front alongside Bobbo Zamora in place of the suspended Adel Taarabt.
Chelsea began the match the brighter of the two teams and Sturridge managed to put the home side ahead with just 46 seconds on the clock. After receiving a cut back from Ashley Cole down the left, the winger's initial pass inside was deflected back to him off Anton Ferdinand on the edge of the area, and with the angle slightly against him, he let fly with a superb strike on his weaker right foot that beat Paddy Kenny high at his near post.
With the Chelsea threatening from every set piece, the team made it two for the afternoon in the 13th minute after Terry stole a march on his marker from a Mata corner, before out-jumping and out-muscling his opposite number and nodding home from just inside the six-yard box.
Roberto Di Matteo pressed home his credentials for the manager's job full time in the summer even further, with the club's owners Roman Abramovich seen clapping from the stands after the tam raced into a 3-0 lead on 18 minutes courtesy of a coolly taken Torres goal, after rounding Paddy Kenny in a carbon copy of his strike against Barcelona. The Spaniard was put through by a fabulous Kalou pass after a lovely flowing team move.
A lofted pass from Mata, and saw Torres slot home his second of the match, displaying the composure of old as he dispatched the ball into the empty net with a simple left-footed finish.
Torres didn't have to wait long after the break to seal the win in the 64th minute, when he was put through by yet another sublime Mata through ball, before cutting back onto his right foot and finishing clinically into the far right corner.
Chelsea made it six in the 79th minute, when substitute Malouda tapped home from just outside the six yard box unmarked, after the QPR back line was pulled apart by a driving Ramires run and precise cut back.
With the game nearing its logical conclusion, the Chelsea defense made a hash of trying to play the ball out from the back in the 84th minute which let in Onuoha down the right to dink in a cross into the path of Cisse, who powered home a drive past the diving Cech into the bottom left corner for a consolation strike for the visitors.
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