Chelsea 3 Sunderlnd 0: There is an air of change around Stamford Bridge which goes well beyond Claudio Ranieri's tactical switch at half-time on Saturday. Chelsea are rarely conceding - only one goal in 10½ hours' Premiership football - and there is a resilience which speaks of substance as well as style.
Howard Wilkinson, admittedly working with a less talented pool, planned with his customary detail and for an hour drew a stubborn performance from his Sunderland side. But in the end he and his team were outmanoeuvred and the last Englishman to win the championship will not be the only manager to suffer.
It helps, as Wilkinson pointed out, to have such strength in depth that Ranieri could bring on Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emmanuel Petit for the second half. Wilkinson was impressed, saying: "They've played enough games to justify their league position. It was hard to see a weakness."
This would have pleased Ranieri the most. Not only did Plan B, which he had rehearsed in training, pay off well but there were personal dividends for William Gallas and Marcel Desailly, defenders who turned scorers.
The watching Sven Goran Eriksson could do with central defenders of such outstanding ability and, dare it be said, the tactical acumen demonstrated by Ranieri in turning 4-4-2 into a highly effective 4-3-3 for the second half - varied at times with Gianfranco Zola sometimes staying just behind the front two.
Ranieri's great asset is his players' flexibility. Graeme le Saux, supplier of both defenders' goals, played all the way down the left flank, took corners from the right and once appeared in a central defensive position to deny David Bellion a clear run at goal.
Jesper Gronkjaer started on the left, soon moved to the right and sometimes stationed himself as a central defender back in the centre circle at Chelsea corners. From this unlikely zone, the epitome of the pacy, head-down winger looked up and played some beautifully weighted passes.
Such versatility gave Chelsea's performance extra sheen as they poured forward in the second half, putting so many bodies in the Sunderland area that Jurgen Macho was forced to do the work of three men. Unfortunately, the goalkeeper could not manage that when two Sunderland defenders allowed Le Saux's long cross to arrive at the far post, leaving the unmarked Gallas to volley home.
Chelsea went further aheadwhen le Saux's corner was met on the full by Desailly's boot for the captain's first club goal in 14 months. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink completed the scoring after Zola drew four opponents.
In contrast Tore Andre Flo did not muster a single effort against his old club and Sunderland nurtured only brief hopes of a goal, Kevin Phillips seeing a low drive saved by Carlo Cudicini and Bellion's cross-shot bringing an uncharacteristically untidy stop by the Italian goalkeeper.
"The objective is simple," said Ranieri: "One point is nothing - I want three. Maybe I'm not Italian enough." But maybe he is. Guardian Service
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Gallas, Desailly, Le Saux, De Lucas (Gudjohnsen 45), Morris (Petit 45), Lampard, Gronkjaer (Stanic 81), Hasselbaink, Zola. Subs Not Used: de Goey, Terry. Goals: Gallas 58, Desailly 84, Hasselbaink 89.
SUNDERLAND: Macho, Wright, Bjorklund (Bellion 62), Babb, Gray, Craddock, Thirlwell, McCann, Kilbane (McCartney 71), Flo, Phillips. Subs Not Used: Poom, Williams, Stewart. Booked: Thirlwell, McCann, Kilbane.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent)
