Lee Bowyer and Manu Petit get stuck in (BenRadford/Allsport)

A fixture that boasted 71 yellow and five red cards in the last 11 meetings before this encounter at Stamford Bridge had its usual blend of foul play and foul mouths. But for once, David O'Leary's side lacked the fight of previous battles.

They showed spirit of a kind, not least when Jason Wilcox responded to Sam Dalla Bona's somewhat dubious goal with a tackle that left the Italian midfielder nursing a nasty gash down his thigh. Quite how Wilcox stayed on the field is something referee Steve Bennett should explain.

By then, however, Chelsea had established a commanding lead and in rekindling what had become a fading title challenge, they looked far more capable of closing the gap on the leaders.

For O'Leary, this must have been most disturbing. Cardiff City's remarkable FA Cup victory had given his players a rare weekend off but a break from the norm succeeded only in sapping strength from players who appeared strangely heavy-legged. There was no conviction, no ambition, not a hint of drive.

In taking just one point from their last three games, Leeds have lost what initiative they possessed before the Cardiff debacle. It is Arsenal and Manchester United who now set the pace and Leeds are likely to lose yet more ground if they fail to beat Liverpool at Elland Road this weekend.

Chelsea's greatest flaw remains their inconsistency but a few more performances like this and we will have to start taking their title credentials more seriously. They certainly began with a bang, Eidur Gud-johnsen celebrating the birth of his second child the day before with a marvellous goal after just 96 seconds.

Mario Stanic made light of a saturated pitch with a jinking run down the left wing and passed to Emmanuel Petit. From the Frenchman's quick ball, Gudjohnsen hit a breathtaking first-time left-foot shot that curled beyond the diving Nigel Martyn.

It was the Iceland striker's 17th goal of an already impressive season, his ninth in eight starts, and it invited praise from Claudio Ranieri. 'He missed training yesterday but he's improving all the time,' said the Chelsea manager.

Leeds had lost just once in their eight previous visits to this ground but for all their early possession, it was Chelsea who seemed the more dangerous. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink shot just wide and moments later, Jonathan Woodgate collected the first booking of the evening for pulling the Holland striker's shirt.

The crowd called for a harsher punishment but on this occasion Bennett showed a sensible degree of restraint.

Chelsea extended their lead, much to the annoyance of Leeds, in the 31st minute. When Mario Melchiot's throw-in was met by Hasselbaink, Wilcox reacted first but his clearance was blocked by the hand of Dalla Bona, who took full advantage of Bennett's failure to spot the offence and scored with a coolly executed left-foot finish.

Robbie Fowler was first to protest and when Wilcox approached the referee to express his displeasure, he ended up with a booking.

That should have led to his dismissal nine minutes later, when his slide into Dalla Bona deserved at least a second yellow card. Wilcox was late and Bennett was perfectly placed to see the offence. But, in what he would consider his wisdom, the official allowed Wilcox to remain on the field.

Such good fortune failed to inspire Leeds, who did nothing to suggest they could stage anything resembling a comeback. Only Gary Kelly threatened with a shot that forced Carlo Cudicini into a rare save.

Chelsea, by comparison, appeared remarkably relaxed, Gudjohnsen's attempt to beat Martyn from 40 yards a measure of how confident they were becoming.

There were more bad challenges of note, Stanic catching Kelly and Lee Bowyer leaving Stanic in a heap. But that latter challenge remained one of the few blows Chelsea suffered on an otherwise encouraging night.

Ranieri said: 'We just need to show the same attitude against Leicester this weekend.'

O'Leary could offer no such comment and chose instead to stay silent. He was doubtless speechless.