Chelsea catch fire with the arrival of Wise

Chelsea's gourmets demonstrated their renewed appetite for the bread and butter of the Premiership last night with a second league win in a row - a feat they last achieved on October 3rd.

Two first-half goals and a third seven minutes from time by the substitute Jody Morris consigned Sheffield Wednesday to more misery at the bottom of the table where the prospect of certain relegation increasingly stares them in the face.

Chelsea caused mutterings before kick-off by naming another side without one British player in it. However, having set a domestic record by doing the same at Southampton on St Stephen's Day and winning, the temptation to repeat such a heresy was obvious.

The one Briton who would normally be in the starting line-up, Dennis Wise, was suffering with flu for the visit to the Dell, and though recovered last night, only made the bench.

But it was his arrival as a 22nd-minute substitute for the injured Didier Deschamps which changed the game.

Perhaps buoyed by the knowledge that they had lost just once in their last eight visits to Stamford Bridge, Wednesday began too brightly for Chelsea's comfort.

Despite having not won away in the Premiership this season, Danny Wilson's side came close several times in the opening 20 minutes to adding to their miserly total of six goals scored on their league travels.

Gilles de Bilde and Lee Briscoe were particularly lively, both producing 20-yard shots which Ed de Goey did well to fingertip round the post.

Andy Booth also went close with a header and Chelsea were on the back foot despite the fact that Roberto di Matteo had opened the hostilities after just two minutes with a rasping shot which Pavel Srnicek tipped over with a flying save.

But on 21 minutes the Wednesday keeper was forced to save just as acrobatically from Gustavo Poyet's header and slowly Chelsea, with just one striker in Tore Andre Flo in front of a five-man midfield, took control.

Then, enter Wise. Just past the half-hour Dan Petrescu crossed from the right, Poyet headed down and Wise scored from six yards despite looking offside.

It was the breakthrough the home side needed and three minutes later they extended their lead when a great through ball by Poyet found Flo in space 18 yards out and the Norwegian coolly lifted the ball over the advancing keeper.

Wednesday's confidence, boosted by only their second league win of the season, against Middlesbrough on St Stephen's Day, was suddenly shot to pieces by the sight of their defence being sliced open for a second time.

Perhaps if the classy Brazilian Emerson Thome had still been in their back line it might have been different. But he was making his home debut for Chelsea after being sold last week. And his replacement at Hillsborough, Scott Wilson from Rangers, is not due to sign until later this week.

Chelsea's confidence was now flowing and they began the second half with positive intentions of increasing their lead. Poyet headed over from another Petrescu cross and Wise unleashed a shot from the edge of the area which forced Srnicek into a smart save.

Chelsea, having taken so much stick this season for being unable to replicate their European form in the Premiership, were now looking forward to savouring two league wins in a row.

At the turn of the year last season they were in a similar position in the Premiership, well behind the top three. But they pulled themselves together enough to lose just two of their last 21 games and claim a European place. Similar hopes persist at the turn of the millennium.

Chelsea: De Goey, Lambourde, Thome, Leboeuf, Babayaro, Petrescu, Deschamps (Wise 22), Di Matteo, Ambrosetti (Morris 81), Poyet, Flo (Zola 81). Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Terry. Booked: Leboeuf. Goals: Wise 31, Flo 34, Morris 83.

Sheffield Wed: Srnicek, Nolan, Walker, Atherton, Hinchcliffe, Alexandersson, Jonk, Sonner (Haslam 61), Briscoe (Sibon 61), De Bilde, Booth (Cresswell 70). Subs Not Used: McKeever, Pressman. Booked: Booth, Alexandersson.

Referee: A D'Urso (Billericay).