Chelsea last night strolled past Hertha Berlin to the second group phase of the Champions League with the air of men promenading along the Unterdenlinden.

Didier Deschamps and Albert Ferrer scored their first goals for the club, in fact Deschamps's was his first in Europe, as Gianluca Vialli's side gained an easy but relentless grip on the game.

Pity then that Chris Sutton had to spoil it by being sent off for a second bookable offence, a bodycheck on Eyjolfur Sverrisson two minutes into injury-time and with the game won.

Chelsea had to both gain a point and make a point; the first to reach the next round, the second to prove to their chairman Ken Bates that they are not a fair-weather side.

With a draw suiting both teams, the possibility of a standoff was obvious. Vialli, however, had scorned such a prospect and his team selection was as good as his word, Sutton joining Tore Andre Flo and Gianfranco Zola in attack.

The danger of this, from Chelsea's point of view, was that it gave Hertha an advantage of five to three in midfield. The hesitancy of Chelsea's start reflected their lack of ease with an unfamiliar system.

It did not last long. Having seen off some sporadic attacks from Hertha, the best of which saw a header from Tony Sanneh clear the bar, Chelsea went ahead in the 11th minute.

A careless ball from the Iranian Ali Daei gave Deschamps a chance to advance in the inside left position and after avoiding a challenge from Dick van Burik, he let loose a swerving shot into the top corner.

Chelsea relaxed after that. Flo, set up by a ball from Deschamps, dragged his shot wide from a narrow angle but with passes finding the usual faces in the usual places, more goals were likely. Hertha, by contrast, were beginning to look heavy-legged and world-weary.

By half-time it appeared that the only thing likely to deny Chelsea victory was complacency, so complete was their grip. Hertha's midfield had faded away and Zola and Flo, backed by Wise, Deschamps and Petrescu, were practically walking through the defence.

Chelsea, moreover, had scored again. In the 43rd minute a simple move saw Wise collect a ball from Flo before releasing a shrewdly flighted pass over the defence for Ferrer to run through and beat Kiraly with an emphatic shot.

Hertha's response was to push forward in greater numbers, but their football still appeared too laboured to worry Chelsea. Then Sebastian Deisler outwitted Ferrer on the left and cut in for a shot which rebounded from the far post.

Chelsea had been warned, and as Flo skilfully set himself up only to shoot wide, to be followed by Wise heading into Kiraly's hands, it was clear that it had been heeded.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Hogh (Leboeuf 66), Desailly (Lambourde 86), Babayaro, Petrescu, Deschamps, Wise, Zola (Poyet 64), Flo, Sutton. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Ambrosetti, Morris, Forssell. Sent Off: Sutton (90). Booked: Sutton. Goals: Deschamps 11, Ferrer 44.

Hertha Berlin: Kiraly, Rekdal, Van Burik, Helmer (Schmidt 58), Sanneh, Deisler, Wosz (Kostantinidis 45), Sverrisson, Michalke, Daei, Preetz (Aracic 45). Subs Not Used: Fiedler, Herzog, Neuendorf, Thom.

Referee: K Nilsson (Sweden)