AVB denies Abramovich picked trio

Andre Villas-Boas laughed off any suggestion Roman Abramovich had ordered him to play Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien in Chelsea's 3-0 Barclays Premier League win over Bolton.

Villas-Boas recalled the trio who were controversially left out for Tuesday night's 3-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli and watched them help ease the pressure on him by ending the Blues' five-match winless run and lift them back into the top four.

The Chelsea boss admitted on Thursday that Abramovich had sought an explanation for his team selection in Naples, but he categorically denied that had influenced his starting line-up here, and said: "What are you trying to say. Of course, it's a co-incidence."

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