CHELSEA successfully unveiled their re-laid playing surface on Saturday, and then answered the recurring question: can their performances stay at championship pitch? Another three points pocketed against a wretched Liverpool ensured that Gianluca Vialli's second-placed side continue to keep up with the Fergies and, with a game in hand, remain perfectly placed to pounce on any domestic slip-up by Manchester United now their main gaze has returned to Europe.
However, Aston Villa's implosion offers a chilling example of what can happen to early shoots in the harsh climate of a long season. And Chelsea's reputation is hardly that of a hardy perennial.
So it was interesting to hear Vialli explain why the team should no longer be regarded as a collection of highly paid peacocks, but instead be seen as a team with the strength and persistence required to win the title race.
"I try to sign players with a winning mentality," said the Italian. "To be consistent the team needs a big desire as well as being mentally and physically strong. And my players have shown that in wining everything around the world."
Indeed, although the unique pressures of championship chasing is relatively new to Chelsea as a club, the team are old hands. Saturday's XI between them boast an astonishing 17 league championship medals, with Vialli adding another two with Sampdoria and Juventus.
The goalkeeper Ed de Goey won one title with Feyenoord, Albert Ferrer five with Barcelona, Marcel Desailly one with Marseille and two with Milan, Graeme Le Saux one with Blackburn, Dan Petrescu four with Staeua Bucharest, Robert di Matteo one with the Swiss club Aarau, Bjarne Goldbaek one with Kaiserslauten and Gianfranco Zola one with Napoli.
Such bountiful backgrounds also help in other ways. "To be consistent as a team you need to know what you have to do tactically," says Vialli, "and then experience is often more important than being skilful because these players know what to do, when and how."
Vialli's defensive homework has been equally thorough, not only drafting in the right-back Ferrer and capturing one of the world's finest centre-backs in Desailly last summer, but making sure that defensive-mindedness starts with the strikers and works its way back. "We try to be tight, narrow and aggressive," adds Vialli.
The Chelsea manager, in acknowledging that the old cliche of winning games while playing badly "is the key to the title", will also be encouraged by his team's mastery of that art on quite a few occasions this season.
Chelsea's striking concerns remain. Though they were eased slightly on Saturday by Tore Andre Flo's return to the starting line-up after a long injury lay-off, transfer cash is in short supply until the summer, and only an onloan reinforcement is likely before then.
Gerard Houllier wishes Liverpool problems were so simple. While Chelsea unveiled their new pitch, the Anfield manager was left merely to consider which players to put out to grass.
A largely spiritless performance gave Chelsea the space and encouragement to turn on their party tricks, go 2-0 up after 38 minutes and, despite a belated Liverpool flurry, pocket another morale-boosting win ahead of Thursday's Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final.
Once upon a time a visit from the Merseyside club represented a yard-stick of a team's championship credentials. Now the only measuring going on at Anfield is how far the end-of-season axe will reach into a low-quality squad as Houllier attempts to rebuild the Liverpool legend squandered by so many years of inconsistency.
He is likely to start at the back. On seven minutes Le Saux was allowed to cut in unmarked from the left to set up Zola for a cross which Phil Babb clearly handled in the area. Lebouef converted the penalty. For Chelsea's second the impressive Goldbaek was left free at the far post to volley home Petrescu's cross.
In between Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen missed inviting chances, but then Chelsea went close three times before Liverpool, emerging with more urgency after the break, pulled a goal back through Owen.
As tensions mounted Le Saux then appeared to hit Fowler off the ball for which he could face further action but despite a late slice of pressure, Liverpool ended a miserable day by failing to force one save from De Goey.
CHELSEA: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly, Leboeuf (Lambourde 33), Le Saux (Newton 82), Petrescu, Morris, Di Matteo, Goldbaek, Flo (Forssell 86), Zola. Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Nicholls. Booked: Le Saux. Goals: Leboeuf 7 pen, Goldbaek 38.
LIVERPOOL: James, Heggem (McManaman 9), Kvarme, Matteo, Babb, Bjornebye, Berger (Riedle 80), Redknapp, Ince (Ferri 48), Owen, Fowler. Subs Not Used: Staunton, Friedel. Booked: Fowler. Goals: Owen 77.
Referee: P Durkin (Portland).
