21/10/2000  Chelsea 6 Coventry 1
 
The stylish London side have a manager who speaks little English and included 
only one native in their starting line-up but they shared a common language 
today as the goals rained in.

Hasselbaink was the chief destroyer, grabbing a brace either side of the 
interval, although the Dutch star appeared to be the villain in the incident 
which turned the game.

The Sky Blues were hanging on grimly after 21 minutes when Gustavo Poyet 
threaded a pass through the City defence.

Hasselbaink ran on and teenage keeper Chris Kirkland raced out, the striker 
nicking the ball away an instant before his opponent arrived at the scene.

There looked to be little contact but Hasselbaink sprawled to the turf and 
referee Stephen Lodge pointed to the spot.

Having made his decision, Lodge had little alternative other than to send a 
distraught Kirkland from the field, although the angry protests from the 
Coventry side made it clear that their 19-year-old team-mate was the victim on 
only his second Premiership start.

Alan Miller joined the visitors on loan from Blackburn earlier in the week and 
could have become an instant hero.

But Hasselbaink despatched the spot-kick with ease and then smashed home three 
more for good measure to leave Miller to ponder the wisdom of his move.

If his first was controversial, the £15million summer arrival from Atletico 
Madrid left no-one in any doubt of his ability with the second.

Picking up a long ball from Marcel Desailly just inside the Coventry half, 
Hasselbaink sped down the left wing, cut inside the penalty area and unleashed a 
curling shot to the corner which left Miller helpless.

His first Chelsea hat-trick came as part of a phenomenal four goals in 21 
minutes burst from the home side at the start of the second half.

Poyet crossed to Gianfranco Zola, whose close-range shot was palmed away by 
Miller but only into the path of Hasselbaink, who gleefully tapped into an empty 
net.

The moaning and arm-waving which has been so evident in recent weeks was 
absent as Hasselbaink continued his one-man demolition job against opponents who 
had neither the speed nor skill to stop him.

Tore Andre Flo provided the pass for his fourth, a simple weave of the body 
sending Gary Breen careering in the opposite direction before the Dutchman 
slotted home.

Having won just a single game since the opening day of the season and been 
dumped out of the UEFA Cup at the first stage, it was the inspiration Chelsea 
were looking for.

But though Hasselbaink provided the goals, the contribution of Gustavo Poyet 
cannot be underestimated.

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri had little hesitation in recalling the 
Uruguayan star who missed the last eight games with an ankle injury and pushed 
into a more forward position, Poyet's movement on and off the ball was too much 
for the visitors.

Poyet linked brilliantly with Celestine Babayaro - recalled for the injured 
Graeme Le Saux - and had the visitors spinning long before Kirkland's untimely 
exit.

Two goals behind at the interval, Coventry knew the odds were stacked against 
them.

They had one chance to rectify the situation when Youssef Chippo released 
Moroccan team-mate Mustapha Hadji.

But the Sky Blues skipper delayed his shot on the edge of the area and 
Babayaro nipped in to deny him his opportunity.

Within a minute, Gianfranco Zola scored Chelsea's third with a shot which 
deflected off the inside of the post and Coventry were condemned to a 
humiliating afternoon.

They even had Chelsea to thank for their late consolation, Ed de Goey taking 
too long to control Frank Leboeuf's back pass and smashing his clearance 
straight at Cedric Roussel, who shadowed the ball into the home net.

'We want two', yelled the Coventry fans.