Blue may be their colour, but unlike the Tories, Chelsea love being in Europe. Once again Gianluca Vialli's side conjured up the sort of disciplined brilliance which currently eludes them in the Premiership.

Goals from Celestine Babayaro and two from Tore Andre Flo, his second coming five minutes from time from Gianfranco Zola's astute pass, hardly reflected Chelsea's total dominance from start to finish.

The substitute Julio Ricardo Cruz hit a consolation goal for the Dutch side but the score could have been 8-1 given the chances Chelsea created. Few in the ground were complaining, though. Three points were the target, and that was duly hit.

Chelsea, knowing they could ill afford any slip-ups at home if they wanted to make it through to the quarter-finals, began brightly, helped to some degree by the surprisingly attacking formation with which Feyenoord started the game.

Three players operated forward - Somalia down the middle, Bonaventure Kalou down the right and Peter van Vossen wide left.

With the former Newcastle striker Jon Dahl Tomasson also lurking in the hole just behind the front three, Chelsea fully exploited the space they then found in midfield and on the wings to dominate the first half.

After 30 minutes they should have been at least two goals ahead but poor finishing let them down. The first opening fell to Gustavo Poyet on 12 minutes, the big Uruguayan producing a scissors kick in the area which was goal-bound until blocked by a defender.

Nine minutes later Chelsea carved out an even clearer chance. Didier Deschamps crossed the ball into the area where Zola controlled it well, held off the defender and fed Dennis Wise unmarked on the left.

But though Wise unleashed a hard, low shot Jerzy Dudek in the Feyenoord goal pulled off a vital save with his feet.

Poyet again nearly scored two minutes later when he turned on Dan Petrescu's pass and fired just wide from 12 yards. After wrong-footing two defenders the irrepressible Zola did likewise then, from 25 yards, forced a flying tip-over save from Dudek.

Eventually, however, Chelsea scored. Petrescu's cross from the right found Babayaro rising unmarked seven yards out, and Dudek could only help the Nigerian's powerful header into the net.

With another great chance falling to Flo seconds before the break - the Norwegian blasted wastefully over - Chelsea's domination of the first 45 minutes was complete.

As the second half got underway and Zola fired an 18-yard free-kick inches wide just seven minutes later, it simply looked a case of how many more goals Feyenoord could avoid conceding.

Or how many more Chelsea could miss. Two minutes later Albert Ferrer, in acres of room on the right, swung in a cross which Petrescu, unmarked six yards out, headed against the bar.

Feyenoord were all over the place and within seconds they should have gone two behind again. First, Zola was found in the area and his shot hit the keeper's legs. Then from the rebound Petrescu beat his man, only to see his 12-yard shot blocked.

When Flo then broke clear only to fluff his shot one could not help but think that if Chelsea had a predatory striker up front, he would have filled his boots by now.

But finally Chelsea managed a second. Zola's cross was headed back by Petrescu, Babayaro in turn headed against the bar, and Flo, making amends, slotted home the rebound.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly, Leboeuf, Babayaro, Petrescu, Wise, Deschamps (Della Bona 87), Poyet (Di Matteo 87), Flo, Zola. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Hogh, Goldbaek, Morris, Harley. Goals: Babayaro 45, Flo 67, 85.

Feyenoord: Dudek, Van Gobbel, Van Wonderen, Konterman, Somalia, Kalou, Bosvelt, Van Gastel, De Visser, Van Vossen (Samardzic 60), Tomasson (Cruz 58). Subs Not Used: Graafland, Rzasa, Paauwe, Korneev, De Haan. Goals: Cruz 90.

Referee: Jose Garcia-Aranda (Spain).