Chelsea pull off class act

IT IS not that long since Euro 96, but Terry Venables was given a sobering reminder of just how devastating top class football can be yesterday.

Like Damon Hill, the former England coach is learning to live with life at the back of the grid now he is in charge of Australia and chairman of Portsmouth.

And an early exercise in that acclimatisation process came yesterday when he could only watch in admiration as Chelsea produced the sort of skill and imagination that was common place in Venables' football life just nine months ago.

Admittedly, Portsmouth did choke a bit on the big occasion. They also failed to upset Chelsea's composure with a succession of hard tackles on key members, of Ruud Gullit's multi million pound side, especially on Mark Hughes.

"They tried to kick us, but we still played our football," said Gullit. "Just because Mark's calves are big, doesn't mean you can kick them."

But the old campaigner had the last laugh as he moved one game closer to becoming the first player to pocket four FA Cup winners medals.

He received some help from his friends. From early on, Chelsea's superior movement proved too bewitching for a Portsmouth side of relative inexperience, and the home defence was easily pulled apart.

Dennis Wise, Roberto Di Matteo and Paul Hughes operated an executive class shuttle service in midfield that linked perfectly with the cunning running off the ball of Hughes and Gianfranco Zola up front. With Frank Le Boeuf spreading passes from the back with imperious ease, Portsmouth never looked like repeating their surprise, though deserved, win over another Premiership opponent, Leeds, in the last round.

The Portsmouth manager, Terry Fenwick, admitted as much afterwards. "The younger element in our ranks choked up a bit and the occasion was perhaps too big for them," he said. "But we were beaten by a side containing world class players and that was the difference. It was a massive learning curve for my team and I told them so, because if they do get promotion to the Premiership, they will meet teams like that nearly every week."

Portsmouth had started brightly, with Paul Hall, pushing up from midfield to augment Mathias Svensson and Lee Bradbury, promising to spark problems for the Chelsea back line.

However, this tactic soon backfired as Chelsea took advantage of the extra man in midfield to take control of the game.

They should have gone ahead as early as the 17th minute when Zola beat the offside trap, only to see his shot blocked by the alertness of the veteran goalkeeper Alan Knight.

However, nine minutes later Hughes made amends. Le Boeufs long ball forward caught Russell Perrett flat footed and the gristly striker showed his purer side by sweetly striking a wonderful shot from the right of the area past Knight.

It was Hughes' 24th FA Cup goal, and he nearly scored two more soon after. However, Chelsea quickly extended their lead with a simple set piece.

Zofa chipped a free kick to the far post, Steve Clarke's unmarked header was parried by Knight, the ball spun over him and was heading to the net when Wise got a final touch to deny the Chelsea defender his first goal in five years.

Portsmouth had failed to manufacture a decent chance in the first. hall, though they upped their, tempo after the break and suddenly looked threatening for the first time.

However, the Pompey chimes were soon silenced. Portsmouth, over stretched themselves and were caught on the break. Hughes gambolled down the right and fed; Zola, who slipped the ball under the advancing Knight from 16 yards.

Portsmouth did pull a goal back through Deon Burton after the Chelsea defence stood still when John Hall broke down the left, but it was too little too late.

When the valiant Knight marked his 738th game for Portsmouth with an awful kick straight to Wise, it merely confirmed the fates' preference that day. The little midfielder played a one two with Hughes and slotted home his second to make it 4-1.