So, this is what it feels like at the top of the league. After spending so much of the season struggling to get a foothold at the bottom of the table, to suddenly see the team in the bright sunshine and rarefied air of the title race was a little treat for any Bolton fan.

It was especially sweet because for seventy minutes Bolton were huffing and puffing as they failed to acclimatise to the change in altitude. Even if you forget about the dreadful penalty decision against Steinsson, nobody could argue with the quality of Chelsea's play. It seems obvious, but they are a really good team.

In fact, yesterday they were too good and Bolton didn't have any answers. I could watch Ballack's goal a hundred times and not get sick of it. They were majestic. It was all smiles and sunshine at the Bridge – Oh, except for the last twenty minutes.

It was a throwback result from the times when we were fans rather than consumers, an antiquated scoreline that isn't supposed to happen in the modern Premier League. It was genuinely exciting, as everyone involved held their breath for the last five minutes.

It had little to do with tactics or chequebooks; it was a raw, seismic shift in the game that set it all up. Chelsea were comfortable, and then Bolton found another gear, one that has eluded them at the end of games all season long, and they were able to multiply the pressure on Chelsea.

The tide had turned, and suddenly wave after wave of pressure rolled up and smashed into Chelsea's defences. Completely out of the blue, Bolton had turned it into a real contest, crashing forward and piling into the box, then subsiding, swelling, rolling up and breaking again, from a different direction and at a different target.

It was great to watch, if only to see Chelsea's superstars sweat a bit. John Terry's head was spinning as Bolton bombarded the Chelsea goal and Petr Cech looked completely flustered as crosses were fired in from all angles. After looking so comfortable, in just ten minutes nobody was sure that Chelsea could make off with one point, never mind three.

In the end the result won't really matter to Bolton. Chelsea needed to win to give themselves something to cling onto in the League, but for Gary Megson this performance could be worth more than three points. If his players can take the momentum from the end of this game into their easy run-in, (Pompey, Villa, Wigan, Sunderland, Hull, Man City), there's a chance to make up some ground on the likes of Spurs and even West Ham and getting up the table.

Most of all, Megson now has ten minutes of proof that he can get a performance out of a team. That'll mean as much to his players as it will to him.