Chelsea's second string cut down by Irons

HUDDERSFIELD flourished where Manchester United had perished last night, albeit against a team sharing only the name of Chelsea and the blue shirts. Gianluca Vialli left out 10 of the team who had humiliated United 10 days earlier, and saw their understudies knocked out of the Worthington Cup by the first goal scored by any side visiting Stamford Bridge this season. Kenny Irons, the midfielder signed fron Tranmere last summer, struck it superbly 13 minutes from time, as the Terriers' bite finally matched their bark.

HUDDERSFIELD flourished where Manchester United had perished last night, albeit against a team sharing only the name of Chelsea and the blue shirts. Gianluca Vialli left out 10 of the team who had humiliated United 10 days earlier, and saw their understudies knocked out of the Worthington Cup by the first goal scored by any side visiting Stamford Bridge this season. Kenny Irons, the midfielder signed fron Tranmere last summer, struck it superbly 13 minutes from time, as the Terriers' bite finally matched their bark.

Nobody was more delighted than Ken Monkou, the Hudedersfield centre-half, who had been presented before the game with a crystal vase to mark his service to Chelsea. Huddersfield will now face Wimbledon in the fourth round.

Jes Hogh was the only survivor from the previous game, while the goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, John Terry, Mikael Forssel and Roberto Di Matteo, who has been suffering with an ankle injury, all started for the first time this season. Since the opposition comprised a team who would have been leaders of the First Division but for allowing a two-goal lead to slip in their last home match, the phrase "taking liberties" came to mind.

The Huddersfield defence, criticised by their manager, Steve Bruce, for negligence in that previous game, stood up better to Forssel and Tore Andre Flo than to Port Vale. A drive by the Finnish teenager, beaten out by Nico Vaesen, and a cross-cum-shot by Bernard Lambourde that clipped the bar were the only moments of alarm in a dull first half. Another one materialised soon after the interval, when the unpredictable winger Gabriele Ambrosetti, switched briefly to the right wing, crossed for Forssel to head at goal. Vaesen palmed the ball upwards, after which it bounced against a post and out again.

The goalkeeper was relieved to stretch back and reach a cheeky efort by Jody Morris from inside the centre circle. But the Yorkshiremen, going close with Kenny Irons' curling free-kick and fierce efforts from George Donis and Craig Armstrong, had looked equally capable of winning the tie. They did so in fine style, Irons gaining possession as Dean Gorre's pass broke off Di Matteo and running on to beat Cudicini in the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Lambourde (Nicholls, 80), Terry, Hogh, Le Saux; Goldbaek, Morris, Di Matteo (Wolleaston, 84), Ambrosetti; Forssel, Flo. Substitutes not used : Hitchcock (gk), Harley, Dalla Bona.

Huddersfield (4-4-2): Vaesen; Jenkins, Monkou, Lucketti, Armstrong; Donis, Gorre, Irons, Beech; Stewart, Wijnhard (Vincent, 89) . Substitutes not used : Margetson (gk), Sellars, Thornley, Horne.

Referee : R Styles (Waterlooville).