24/11/1999 Chelsea 3 Feyenoord 1 It was all too easy to tell it was European night again at Stamford Bridge. With more than 30 efforts at goal, creativity flowing from every pore and Dutch champions Feyenoord being ground into the dust with a display of passing and movement, Chelsea produced a convincing display of which boss Gianluca Vialli could rightly be proud. Admittedly, his side yet again missed countless openings and he may find that their profligacy will come at a price on other Champions League nights when much tougher opposition is encountered. But after Celestine Babayaro had calmed the Blues' collective nerves with a header just before half-time, the second period was a stroll as Tore Andre Flo scored twice to secure victory. It was so one-sided, it was almost embarrassing - if only the likes of Watford, Derby, West Ham and Everton could be dispatched with such clinical precision, Chelsea would have little to worry about. Yet while Vialli's side have little difficulty in raising themselves for these big occasions, as their displays in the first group stage so amply showed, they have copiously struggled in the Premier League against supposedly far inferior opposition. That conundrum will again confront Vialli this Sunday, when Bradford are the visitors, but for the time being at least, the Italian could reflect upon a perfect start to the second group phase just 24 hours after Manchester United had been beaten by Fiorentina. So overwhelming was Chelsea's domination of a Dutch side that was unbeaten in their first six European games that even a trip to Lazio in a fortnight's time should hold no obvious terrors for them. Feyenoord had arrived in London with a reputation for being hard to break down and they even had the first chance of the game when keeper Ed De Goey, facing his former club, had to block a fiercely-hit shot by Bonaventure Kalou. Thereafter, however, they resembled the Dutch boy attempting to stem the dyke with his finger as Chelsea bombarded them from every possible angle. Indeed, the home side forced 12 corners and had 19 efforts on goal before finally making the crucial breakthrough just seconds before half-time. Once Didier Deschamps and Dennis Wise had assumed a vice-like grip on central midfield, with Frank Leboeuf sporadically joining them from defence, that allowed the rest of the team to stream forward. And when Chelsea play like this, interchanging positions and flowing with movement, they are irrestistible to watch. Then again, while the cameo roles are played to perfection, they so often lack a star performer to convert the chances and so it seemed to be proving before Babayaro struck. And come the chances certainly did with Dan Petrescu in inspired form down the right-flank, Gustavo Poyet popping up almost everywhere and Flo and the livewire Gianfranco Zola unselfishly pulling out wide. The best opportunity of all fell to Wise after Zola had caused mayhem inside the penalty area following Deschamps' surge forward on the overlap but keeper Jerzy Dudek brilliantly saved with his legs before plucking a Flo shot out of the air. Countless other opportunities went begging as Zola's drive was tipped over and Poyet's header followed suit, while the crossing was also a cause of concern until Petrescu gave a masterclass with his delivery for Babayaro. The left-back, who had stolen forward unnoticed as Marcel Desailly manned the defence almost on his own, powered in a header from close range and although Dudek got his hands to the ball, he could not keep it out. Even then, there was still time for Flo to balloon an effort over the bar before the break and Chelsea emerged after the interval just as determined to kill off the game. Given their ability to make life hard for themselves, of course it took a whole host more chances before that goal came though. A header from Petrescu thumped against the crossbar before the midfielder then dallied in front of goal after a shot from Zola had been saved, while Flo also lacked the killer instinct when he broke clear through the middle. With Poyet also heading over and having a drive brilliantly tipped behind, the sight of a white towel being twirled above the head of a Feyenoord official on the touchline made it seem as if the Dutch side were gracefully conceding defeat. But it was merely the signal for a double substitution which briefly sparked the visitors into action for a five-minute spell around the hour-mark before Chelsea finally struck the incisive blow from which their opponents could not recover. Zola crossed from the right, Petrescu headed the ball back at the far post and Babayaro's close-range effort rebounded against the bar to bounce at the feet of Flo, who showed commendable poise and skill to steer his half-volley into the net. Sixty-six minutes gone and it was all over, with Flo then delivering the coup de grace at the second attempt with five minutes left after a magical back-flick into his path by Zola. In the final minute, Desailly was robbed by substitute Julio Ricardo Cruz after Wise's pass-back had left him in trouble and the striker advanced to slide home the Dutch side's consolation effort. However, this was Chelsea's night and it was with understandable and undiluted joy that the taunts of "are you watching Manchester" rung loudly around the stadium at the final whistle.