Chelsea 1 - 1 Leeds United

	Paul Robinson watches in despair as Poyet equalises (BenRadford/Allsport)

Those who witnessed his attempt to converse in English were left speechless when the same phrase was repeated over and over, like some precious mantra.

'Poyet,' said Ranieri, 'he is chaos. Chaos. Everywhere he goes there is chaos.'

If only Leeds United had taken notice then, they might have rounded off one of the most memorable weeks in the club's history with a result which went one better than the draw they achieved against AC Milan in the San Siro last Wednesday.

Instead, they allowed the sooth-sayer's subject to run amok in their penalty area when they were just 11 minutes from victory at Stamford Bridge. The madness was brief in the aftermath but the Italian coach must have felt vindicated, even if the draw was hardly impressive from the home point of view.

Indeed, Ranieri is finding it harder to follow in Gianluca Vialli's footsteps than he might have expected. To date, their respective records in charge this season make for interesting reading.

Vialli lost one out of six matches before being given his books for showing a lack of progress.

Ranieri has already lost four of the nine he has overseen - and Chelsea do not look as if they have made great strides in his short tenure so far.

By comparison, David O'Leary can say with genuine satisfaction that his team are growing by the week. No more of his throwaway catchphrases about youth and naivety;

Leeds were as solid as they come yesterday.

Lucas Radebe headed the list of outstanding performers. His was a task that not many Premiership defenders envy - marking Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - but he mastered his old team-mate with supreme ease.

Physically, the defender should have just shaded it, but so complete was his marking job that the Dutchman was literally erased from the match. Between them, Vialli and Ranieri have now paid £27million for the striker but he didn't look value for anyone's money yesterday.

It was Ranieri who took him from Leeds to Atletico Madrid and then watched as he scored 24 times in the Primera Liga while he was sacked and the club were relegated.

So far this season, Hasselbaink has scored 10 League goals but if Ranieri's post-match message about Leeds being 'one of the great sides I have seen since I became coach at Chelsea' is to be believed, then you need your big guns firing.

Compare him to Mark Viduka - a relative bargain at £6m from Celtic last summer - for instance.

With the Australian having to cope with the attentions of the allconquering French defensive pairing of Marcel Desailly and Frank Leboeuf, you might have thought there would be no contest.

Instead, Viduka hassled and harried his markers and any modicum of space they allowed him, he exploited. His four goals against Liverpool eight days before convinced many who doubted he could play at this level, but the Chelsea defence obviously missed the signs.

Even his cheeky back-heeled flick in the opening minutes which put Ian Harte in was ignored and the defender should have done better with the chance he had been given.

Viduka made sure that his day would not be fruitless, though, when just after the hour he changed his positioning brilliantly to lose Mario Melchiot and head Lee Bowyer's corner low past Ed de Goey.

An ankle injury forced him to retire early and when Leeds lost their talisman they also gave away the three points. Radebe was adjudged to have fouled Hasselbaink and Poyet took an early free-kick which had Paul Robinson backpeddling to his line to push over.

From the corner, Hasselbaink had a couple of efforts deflected before Tore Andre Flo knocked on for Poyet to head in from close range. Perhaps with Ranieri's words in mind, he ran to the centre spot, his eyes bulging like a madman's.

There were few more livid in the stadium than O'Leary, though. He complained bitterly afterwards that the foul from which the pressure - and eventually the goal - resulted should never have been awarded as he felt Radebe had won the ball cleanly.

'The referee didn't blow until the crowd shouted for it, said O'Leary. 'I was very disappointed by the award. There were a few decisions which were highly debatable but I think that one cost us the match.'

From the stands, it must have made further depressing viewing for the new England assistant, Tord Grip, who witnessed his second instalment of English football this weekend.

Of the 44 players who started at Filbert Street and Stamford Bridge, only 14 were eligible to play for Sven Goran Eriksson's new side. None scored.

If Eriksson didn't realise what lies ahead, he will once Grip reports to him ... and you don't have to be a prophet to see how hard it is going to be.

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): De Goey; Melchiot, Leboeuf, Desailly; Ferrer (Gudjohnsen, 75min), Dalla Bona (Morris, 75), Wise, Babayaro; Poyet, Zola (Flo, 75); Hasselbaink.
Booked: Desailly, Dalla Bona, Wise, Babayaro

Leeds United (4-4-2): Robinson; Kelly, Mills, Radebe, Harte; Bowyer, Bakke, Dacourt, Matteo; Viduka (Huckerby, 77), Smith.
Booked: Kelly, Smith, Radebe, Bakke, Matteo.