INTERVIEW

Wednesday, October 27, 1:16am London Time
The Wise guys are up for the cup
By Jeff Powell

Chelsea adopted all of manager Gianluca Vialli's characteristics in the San Siro last night and did what he had done so often in his playing career by hitting AC Milan where it hurt.

A deft Dennis Wise goal with 13 minutes left earned Chelsea the draw they deserved as they came of age in the Champions League.

Milan played with aggression and commitment throughout in front of a baying, passionate crowd but Vialli's side did not wilt.

Not even when Oliver Bierhoff's opener seemed to have robbed them of their destiny did their attitude change and even their 5-0 victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul paled into insignificance in comparison to their achievement in Milan, where they arrived a little under the cosh and departed as the new favourites to win Group H.

This was Champions League football the way it was supposed to be played.

The match resembled Manchester United's campaign last season in that the play was open, passes flowed and there were more chances than you would see on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?

For all that. Chelsea did not play with gay abandon. There were some pretty hair-raising moments around Ed de Goey's penalty but the observation of Derby County's Italian Stefano Eranio in Tuesday's Sportsmail, that Chelsea were the better footballing side of the two, was proved correct.

Undoubtedly, new Milan goal-keeper Christian Abbiati was the more troubled and he showed the flexibility and agility of a Russian gymnast to prevent either Dan Petrescu or Albert Ferrer giving Chelsea the lead.

The first half passed in a blur of activity but the fact that Chelsea's vast ranks of travelling fans sang their lungs out during the interval indicated the satisfaction and confidence which had been drawn from the first 45 minutes.

When you go to the San Siro the start you make is everything.

Noise assaults the eardrums and you can almost see self-belief either transmitting itself from the vast, high stands to the red-and-black-shirted home players or draining away like dirty water down a plughole if the crowd decides to show dis-pleasure with Milan.

Last week in Turkey Chelsea manager Gian-franco Zola gave his players a 'seek and destroy' order and it worked without a flaw.

Yesterday, in the street-wise and far more dangerous setting of Milan, he told Dennis Wise to play with stealth and calm, Tore Andre Flo to hold the ball up and Gianfranco Zola to wreak as much havoc as is possible for a 5ft 6in Sardinian.

Milan were still fuelled by the sweet taste of victory in Saturday's derby match against Inter and Andriy Shevchenko, in particular, was performing like a footballing version of world 100metres sprint champion Maurice Greene.

In one joust, the Ukrainian gave the rapid Frank Leboeuf a 10-yard start and streaked into the penalty area past his recent international opponent, from the Euro 2000 qualifying group containing France and the Ukraine.

But the fact that the game lacked a goal at half time and that Vialli felt motivated to produce his now traditional Champions League jack-in-the-box, Jody Morris, was down to Chelsea's big, bald Dutch goal-keeper at one end and the impressive Abbiati at the other.

An early lead would have been more valuable than a sack of uncut diamonds to Chelsea and it almost arrived in the sixth minute.

The visitors were playing with an abundance of confidence and exciting invention, and it almost payed off when Gustavo Poyet's huge pass found Flo. He in turn picked out Petrescu, who lashed in a shot which Abbiati saved instinctively with his right foot splayed out as far as it would stretch.

Abbiati saved his team again with a superb fingertip stop from Ferrer's soaring drive.

But Gennaro Gattuso was matching Wise in midfield and Shevchenko was starting to find his range. The Ukrainian rose unchallenged between Ferrer and Leboeuf to meet Serginho's 24th minute free-kick and headed just wide of de Goey's right-hand post.

The Milanese could hardly contain their excitement - but Chelsea simply went back to their stoical approach.

For the second Champions League game in succession, following the horrific collapse against Arsenal at the weekend, the French pairing of Marcel Desailly and Leboeuf in the centre of defence was excellent.

Desailly did more of the patrolling work while Leboeuf was his usual mixture of last-ditch sliding tackles, bursts into midfield and visionary passing.

Flo, too, advanced his reputation. Although there was later to be a lull in his contribution, the gangly Norway striker caused much-vaunted Italy defender Paolo Maldini no end of bother.

He had a shot saved in the seventh minute and then blazed a wonderful opportunity over in the 21st minute.

Zola's flick had sent Wise down the right, where he had been switched to at half time after Morris' arrival, and the cross opened up Milan's defence.

But Flo lifted his head and the chance whizzed up over the bar.

The second period became much tighter and more controlled, as if the teams had burned themselves out in that whirlwind first half.

However, the game was turned on its head and back again in four thunderous minutes.

De Goey saved brilliantly from a steaming Massimo Ambrosini volley before Desailly showed his class to block the same player's shot from point blank range thanks to a combination of intelligence and competitiveness.

Then, with 17 minutes left, Abbiati matched that with a wonderful save from Poyet's header just four yards out.

It instantly looked like a crucial miss and, when Milan swept up field, Serginho raced to the touchline, crossed over Desailly and Bierhoff headed in a trademark goal.

To their eternal credit, it took Vialli's team just under three minutes to reply. Roberto Di Matteo, on for Poyet, chipped his first touch over Maldini for Wise to slot home past the advancing Abbiati.