On a day when Manchester United and Arsenal increased their climb to the Premiership title by booking in for additional labours, Chelsea could afford to ease through the gears, take one or two wrong turnings, and still have time to admire the scenery as they moved to within two points of the top spot.
While their rivals return to Villa Park on Wednesday to renew their fight for a place at Wembley, Chelsea could be back in pole position for the first time since January 16th. They visit Middlesbrough on the same night and are playing well enough away from Stamford Bridge to suggest it is one more challenge they can overcome: this was their seventh victory on their last eight championship travels.
Ignore the proximity of the scoreline, for this was never a close affair. Wimbledon's consolation arrived in injury time when Chelsea, well in control through goals in either half by Tore Andre Flo and Gustavo Poyet, had switched off at the back and were mentally already in the dressingroom.
Before Marcus Gayle's half-volley, the visitors had been set more problems by the notorious Selhurst Park surface than anything a dispirited Wimbledon could summon up. Since Joe Kinnear's heart attack his team of renowned battlers have become surprisingly easy to push over; this was their fifth defeat in six outings.
Some of Celsea's passing, lacking its normal rhythm and accuracy, will have disappointed them, but for that the pitch must take its share of blame. When they had to make it count they did so with clinical efficiency, as the 24th minute showed when Flo quickly pounced to take advantage of Chris Perry's failure to gather a ball knocked forward in hope by Le Saux.
The Norwegian fed Bjarme Goldbaek and was then in position to turn in the low cross for his 13th goal which puts him ahead in the Chelsea scoring charts. Not bad for a player who has started only 20 of the club's 48 games.
Before that, Gustavo Poyet had put a clear header wide and just before half-time a Gianfranco Zola volley looked likely to make it two when Kenny Cunningham, knowing little about it, got in the way of the shot.
At that stage it did not seem that a second goal would be needed but as things turned out the emphatic finish with which Poyet celebrated his return to the starting line-up after the knee injury sustained at Christmas was to prove crucial.
That arrived after Jason Euell has mistakenly put Goldbaek in possession, and he in turn set up Zola for the cross that proved a wonderful invitation for Poyet to demonstrate his enduring penaltybox prowess.
WIMBLEDON: Sullivan, Cunningham, Perry, Blackwell, Thatcher (Leaburn 78), C Hughes, Roberts, Gayle, M Hughes (Ainsworth 46), Euell, Hartson (Cort 71). Subs Not Used: Kimble, Heald. Booked: M Hughes, Roberts. Goals: Gayle 90.
CHELSEA: De Goey, Petrescu (Newton 86), Leboeuf, Goldbaek, Poyet, Duberry, Le Saux, Di Matteo (Morris 46), Flo, Lambourde, Zola (Nicholls 90). Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Ferrer. Booked: Duberry. Goals: Flo 24, Poyet 53.
Referee: G Willard (Worthing).
