High flying Wimbledon swoop over Chelsea

FOR ONCE, Vinnie Jones was powerless to intervene. Wimbledon's captain was just another bystander as Joe Kinnear embarked on a post match monologue in which he brooked not one question and scarcely paused for breath. It was a managerial performance mirroring his team.

Crazy, but true. Even Kinnear, breaking off briefly from his told you so routine, marvelled at one thing: "It's incredible to talk about us in the same terms as Man United," said Kinnear as he relished the prospect next Saturday at Middlesbrough of matching the champions' Premiership record of eight successive wins.

Such a feat would alter perceptions of Wimbledon, already changing with every upwardly mobile step in the Premiership. Kinnear's team not only out fought Chelsea, they out thought Ruud Gullit's multi national side. Even if Chelsea's defending was eccentric, credit the opposition with pressuring their three man back line.

If such unstinting effort - and sky high self belief - win matches, Wimbledon will not be denied the prize of top station that eluded them on Saturday. As for second place on Saturday evening, Kinnear observed: "We deserved to be there. The players are now getting the credit they deserve. This is the best squad I've had in seven years and we're getting better all the time."

Kinnear's warning of "banana skins around the corner" for his team was particularly apt, given that Wimbledon have famously laid so many over the years and Chelsea slipped on them so spectacularly on Saturday.

As Gullit, slightly grudgingly, put lit: "I told my team that football depends on small details. Today Wimbledon were excellent on details. You can be as good as you want, but if you're not alert you're going to lose."

Gullit also offered the equally self evident conclusion that, "We couldn't handle their centre forwards." Yet he would not accept that his three man central defensive system needs revision, even if the trio always looked so uncomfortable with it. Chelsea have conceded almost three goals a game in their last five.

Under Wimbledon's onslaught, no one's reputation suffered more than Leboeufs. The early season image of cool and highly accomplished French sweeper slipped further. Partly at fault for Wimbledon's bizarre first goal, and glaringly so for the fourth, Leboeuf completed an increasingly ragged performance by being booked for a high lunge on Jones. Wounded pride indeed as he ripped off his head bandage in remonstration with David Elleray to display his earlier knocks, one which caused a golf ball size swelling on his left temple.

There were a few mitigating factors. For the first goal, Hitchcock appeared to be shoved by Ekoku from Jones' prodigiously long throw, which bounced before Earle nodded in at the far post, heading Leboeuf in the process. And Jones confirmed that Ardley's hopeful 35 yard shot took a slight deflection, excusing the Chelsea goalkeeper's awkward attempt to save.

Leboeuf, however, could not hide from his miskick that exposed his goalkeeper to Ekoku's run and crisp shot just inside the far post for his sixth goal in as many games. Neither could the increasingly troubled Clarke, captain after Wise's demotion. He was nutmegged by Gayle before the striker unleashed a memorable shot with the outside of his left foot from 20 yards.

Blackwell, and the impressive Perry, at the heart of Wimbledon's defence, offered no such indulgences. Chelsea were restricted to the brief uplift provided by their manager's final 35 minute contribution.

Wimbledon had succumb earlier to Minto's low shot from a well rehearsed free kick. Then, almost apologetically, they gave Vialli a late penalty which was so soft as to invite Sullivan's eventual catch. Fortunately for the Italian striker, banished to the margins for most of the game, it was deemed to have crossed the line.

That did not stop Wimbledon's fans chanting "We want five". Earlier, they had chorused "Are you watching Manchester?" If by any chance Ferguson and co are alarmed, then not so Gullit. At least not in the long term. The Dutchman's message was that hard work and team spirit alone do not build enduring success. It can he enough, however, for one season: "Blackburn showed that."

The Wimbledon way is clearly not for Gullit.