03/11/1999 Chelsea 2 Hertha Berlin 0
 
Rare goals from Didier Deschamps and Albert Ferrer fired 
Chelsea into the second round of the Champions' League sitting 
pretty on the top of their group.

The first-half strikes sealed a 2-0 win which eased the 
pressure on Gianluca Vialli and promised to swell the Stamford 
Bridge coffers with another six top-class European games.

Milan's failure to beat Galatasaray in Turkey also enabled 
defeated Hertha to join Chelsea in the hat for Friday's 
second-round draw.

A stoppage time sending off for Chris Sutton was the only 
blemish on a celebratory night for the Londoners. He picked up 
his second yellow card in the last 10 minutes for a reckless 
challenge on Kjetil Rekdal.

Vialli had apologised to the fans in his programme notes 
for Chelsea's poor performance at Derby on Saturday.

It was their third successive league defeat amidst 
impressive European form and prompted criticism from chairman 
Ken Bates, desperate not to lose ground on the home front.

Vialli accepted the criticism in his usual humble manner 
and dispelled any idea that his side would play for the point 
needed against Berlin to take both clubs through to the second 
phase.

The Italian started with an attacking trio of Gianfranco 
Zola, Chris Sutton and Tore Andre Flo but the goals which took 
Chelsea top of Group H came from unlikely sources.

Deschamps' 11th-minute strike was his first in Champions' 
League football but well worth waiting for, the French 
midfielder firing home a screamer in his 48th Champions' 
League game.

He enjoyed the moment after intercepting a pass out of 
defence by Hertha striker Ali Daei and lashing an unstoppable 
drive past Gabor Kiraly from 25 yards.

The French captain, full of goalscoring bravado, even 
chanced his arm from 45 yards in the second half after a poor 
clearance by Kiraly but the Berlin keeper chased back to 
save.

Deschamps' goal, his first for the club, was followed just 
before half time by another from a most unusual suspect when 
Ferrer weighed in with his first for the Londoners.

The popular Spaniard, who joined the Blues from Barcelona 
last year, was picked out by Dennis Wise as he hurtled forward 
down the right. Ferrer collected the ball cleanly and coolly 
slotted home.

AC Milan and Galatasaray were battling it out in Istanbul 
but Chelsea didn't need to tune in their transistors.

Two Chelsea supporters, informed by the public address that 
their wives had gone into labour, could have excused 
themselves from the second half as the game was up despite a 
more spirited second-half effort from the visitors.

The early goal from Deschamps eased Chelsea into gear. Tore 
Andre Flo went within a whisker of doubling the lead seconds 
later, but he shot wide from an acute angle.

Zola, operating in a free role behind Flo and Sutton until 
he gave way for Gustavo Poyet, served up his usual array of 
magic tricks and twice went close from free-kicks.

Kiraly saved the first after a fumble and the second 
flashed outside his right-hand post.

Wise also forced a flying save from Berlin's Hungarian 
keeper in the first half and ought to have found the net with 
a header after the break which he guided straight at Kiraly 
after Dan Petrescu's misplaced volley.

Hertha couldn't muster an effort on target before the break 
but made changes at half-time and came out with more 
verve.

Sebastian Deisler jinked past Ferrer on the Berlin left and 
shot right-footed past the oncoming Ed de Goey only to see the 
ball rebound off the foot of the post.

Daei produced a spectacular volley which was superbly saved 
by de Goey but the offside flag was already up.

Dick van Burik then headed a Deisler free-kick wide in the 
73rd minute when a goal would have set up a grand finale and 
De Goey made a double save to deny sub Ilija Aracic and 
Deisler.

But Sutton's late sending off took the gloss of a fine 
Chelsea performance. The dismissal was harsh but avoidable and 
will give Vialli a needless problem in the second round.