CHELSEA 2; LEEDS UNITED 0: Chelsea's feet of clay were less apparent here last night than the leaden boots worn by Leeds. After falling behind to a goal from Eidur Gudjohnsen in the opening two minutes, David O'Leary's team struggled to find an attacking response of sufficient weight to upset Claudio Ranieri's defence.

Sam Dalla Bona increased Chelsea's lead on the half-hour, his use of a hand notwithstanding, and thereafter Leeds found it difficult to get back into the contest.

For Chelsea this was a chance to rejoin the leading pack. Leeds, the team immediately above them in fifth place, began the match five points ahead, so Ranieri's side could not afford another of its fitful, absent-minded performances.

Not that there was anything lackadaisical about the way Chelsea began. Any thoughts Leeds might have had of containing the opposition long enough to size up the pattern and tempo of the game were dispelled in the short time it took their opponents to score.

The move was simple, quick and precisely executed. Mario Stanic turned Leeds's defence on the left before slipping the ball inside to Emmanuel Petit. The Frenchman then laid a careful pass back to Eidur Gudjohnsen whose left foot did the rest, an emphatic shot for his 17th goal of the season.

Having lost at home to Chelsea in the League Cup and earlier been held by them in a 0-0 draw at Elland Road, Leeds had to hope that their opponents were still in the foot-shooting business. Not that it looked that way as one free-kick from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink skimmed the crossbar before another was deflected just wide.

Deprived by suspensions of Alan Smith's predatory instincts near goal and the strong overlaps of Danny Mills on the right, Leeds's attack was apt to labour once it crossed the halfway line. Eleven minutes before half-time a strong downward header from Jonathan Woodgate was cleared from the Chelsea goalmouth by Marcel Desailly, but by then O'Leary's side had fallen further behind.

There was more than a whiff of controversy about Chelsea's second goal, which began with a long throw from Mario Melchiot on the right. Hasslebaink reached it first but was blocked by a defender, whereupon the ball ricocheted off the right hand of Dalla Bona, who struck it as it dropped and beat Nigel Martyn inside the near post.

Leeds looked more bemused than annoyed, and it was all of six minutes before Dalla Bona was caught painfully amidships by a late lunge from Jason Wilcox. The Leeds player was lucky to stay on the pitch, having already been cautioned for dissent following the Italian's goal.

With Woodgate equally fortunate to see only a yellow card after 16 minutes after holding back a goal-bound Hasslebaink by his shirt, Leeds's disciplinary record was clearly in danger of plunging further into the red.

In the opening minute of the second half Gudjohnsen threatened to deepen their gloom when he met a dipping centre from Petit with a confident volley past the right-hand post.

Leeds needed to get to grips with the command Petit and Frank Lampard were giving Chelsea in midfield. Until this happened their front pair, Robbie Fowler and Mark Viduka, were always going to lack the quality of service seriously to disturb Marcel Desailly and John Terry at the heart of Chelsea's defence.

Just past the hour O'Leary brought on Harry Kewell in an attempt to give his attack not only added pace and penetration but also the element of surprise it had been lacking. The sudden cross-shot from Gary Kelly which Carlo Cudicini had to punch clear was the sort of thing Leeds needed.

Chelsea have suspended nine fans after the incidents which marred their League Cup semi-final first leg at home to Spurs on January 9th.

Guardian Service

CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Terry, Desailly, Le Saux, Stanic, Lampard, Petit, Dalla Bona, Hasselbaink, Gudjohnsen (Forssell 83). Subs Not Used: de Goey, Jokanovic, Ferrer, Zola. Booked: Stanic. Goals: Gudjohnsen 2, Dalla Bona 31.

LEEDS: Martyn, Kelly, Woodgate (Harte 45), Ferdinand, Matteo, Bowyer, Batty, Johnson (Keane 38), Wilcox, Viduka, Fowler (Kewell 64). Subs Not Used: Robinson, Dacourt. Booked: Woodgate.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

David Lacey

at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea ... 2

Leeds United ... 0