One by one, game by game, week by week the doubts about Chelsea's willingness to fight the title fight the whole way are disappearing. Like wave upon wave gradually eroding a giant question mark in the sand, Gianluca Vialli's blue tide is coming in. Right now it is not for turning.
This was Chelsea's 20th league match unbeaten, a club record. Just as significant, this was their first league win at Newcastle since, 14 years ago, David Speedie, Nigel Spackman and Kerry Dixon were Chelsea's scorers.
John Hollins was Chelsea's manager then, having succeeded John Neal the same year. Chelsea went on to finish sixth in the old First Division and both men deserved credit for their input. Similarly, should Chelsea go on to claim the league title the current incumbent, Vialli, will be the recipient of lavish praise. But his predecessor, Ruud Gullit, will also be deserving.
Gullit, of course, made much of that on Friday and was not wrong. Chelsea were second when he was overthrown and the team had made genuine progress under him. It was just that Gullit did not need to say so last week. Nor, on Saturday evening, did he need to reiterate that Chelsea have to win the championship this season, insinuating that anything less would be failure.
"Everyone can say what they think," Vialli responded. "But we don't have to win the title. If he is trying to be smart we will not fall for that. "I don't want to speak too much about whether this is my team or his team. This was not Ruud Gullit's Chelsea or Gianluca Vialli's Chelsea, this was just Chelsea v Newcastle. Ruud did a great job at the club. Then he left."
Under Vialli Chelsea have evolved into an extremely difficult team to beat. Blitzed as they had not been before this season during a glorious, carefree opening half-hour of all-out Newcastle attack, they defended as if a title depended on it. Only once did they appear panicked, Roberto Di Matteo exhorting calmness from his colleagues seconds before Gary Speed's 29th-minute volley thumped Ed de Goey's crossbar.
De Goey had made an impressive double save from Dietmar Hamann and Speed in the third minute, and when De Goey was struggling shortly afterwards Frank Leboeuf was on the goalline to chest away Andreas Andersson's shot. Then 19-year-old Aaron Hughes, hitherto outjumping Vialli, made a clumsy error, kicking the ball directly into touch. From the throw-in Wise had the ball on the left and, when his centre was missed by Vialli and Hughes, Petrescu spanked the ball under Shay Given.
Di Matteo, Wise and Vialli all went close to extending the lead but on the final whistle their uninhibited celebrations spoke of relief. Chelsea realised this victory said they could win the Premiership.
Newcastle: Given, Domi, Howey, Speed, Hamann, Charvet, Glass, Solano (Lee 72), Hughes, Andersson (Saha 57), Shearer. Subs Not Used: Harper, Barton, Dabizas. Booked: Hughes.
Chelsea: De Goey, Petrescu, Ferrer, Leboeuf, Duberry, Le Saux, Desailly, Wise, Di Matteo, Zola (Nicholls 88), Vialli. Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Goldbaek, Terry, Morris. Booked: Le Saux, Desailly, Ferrer. Goals: Petrescu 39.
Referee: D Gallagher (Banbury).
