CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Chelsea 3 - MSK Zilna 0: Hernan Crespo got the biggest cheer of the night when he was paraded on the pitch, having completed his move from Internazionale, but Chelsea fans had other reasons to celebrate. They are through to the Champions League group stage, though they will have to improve on the first hour here in that more exalted company.

Crespo could make his debut at home to Blackburn on Saturday and by then Chelsea hope to have bought Claude Makelele, although there is much hard bargaining to be done on that deal. Real Madrid do not want to sell and are understood to be demanding £22million, which is more than even Roman Abramovich would want to pay for a 30-year-old.

Claudio Ranieri has already spent almost £100m but his team shone against a defensive Zilina only in the last half-hour. With the result of the tie never in doubt, Chelsea struggled to rouse themselves but headers by Glen Johnson and Robert Huth and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's shot finished the job. It is now four wins from four - with Crespo to come.

Crespo, like everyone here, had expected Chelsea to move into the group stage after starting with a two-goal lead from the first leg in Slovakia.

"We must just think about how it is going to be beautiful if we get into the proper Champions League," Marcel Desailly had stressed before the game, "how beautiful it will be going and playing against Milan, Real Madrid, Inter, Juventus and teams like that."

To no one's surprise, Claudio Ranieri had taken the opportunity to rest a few players, notably Damien Duff, Juan Sebastian Veron and Wayne Bridge. A number of fans had taken a breather too, leaving plenty of empty seats and a low-key atmosphere.

Chelsea gave those who had turned up little to cheer to begin with. They had the vast majority of possession but found it hard to penetrate a Zilina side that pulled plenty of bodies behind the ball and looked - without much success - to counter-attack.

Too many Chelsea passes were going astray, too many touches were poor and too often their players took the wrong option. There was a lack of urgency or rhythm about Chelsea and Ranieri's frustration on the touchline was obvious.

Celestine Babayaro, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Jesper Gronkjaer were particularly error-prone before the interval and Joe Cole was struggling to make an impact from left midfield. In his determination to impress, he shot wildly off target when given a sight of goal.

Not that his team-mates were faring any better. It took Chelsea 27 minutes to create anything of note, though once Hasselbaink had headed that chance over the lead was not long in arriving.

Lampard's free-kick from the right was headed across goal by the tall Zilina midfielder Dusan Sninsky and Glen Johnson stooped to nod his first goal for the club.

It was a header that provided Chelsea's second as well, Robert Huth meeting Emmanuel Petit's corner within three minutes of coming on.

Huth should have had a second but the officials failed to spot his powerful shot had crossed the line after hitting the bar. By then Hasselbaink had added number three from Geremi's pass at the end of a neat move.

Guardian Service

CHELSEA: Cudicini; Johnson, Terry, Desailly (Huth, 64), Babayaro; Gronkjaer (Stanic, 69), Lampard (Petit, h-t), Geremi, Cole; Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink.

ZVL ZiLINA: Rzeszoto; Konecny, Zabavnik, Labant, Stas; Kosmel (Klago, 90), Sninsky, Bazik, Durica (Putik, 83); Barcik; Varadin (Fabus, 72). Booked: Stas.

Referee: K Vassaras (Greece).