Gullit the gofer

Southampton 2 (Widdrington 6, Clarke 38 og) Chelsea 3 (Wise 20, .26 pen, Gullit 53) Attendance: 15,226

SOMETIMES Ruud Gullit has taken to shaking his head in mild frustration at the shortcomings of those around him in the Chelsea side. He circumvented any need for this yesterday by both engineering and scoring the decisive goal himself. As might be expected there was nothing mundane about it.

Noticing what could be afoot, he made some 50 or 60 yards up the centre of the pitch in that deceptively languid way of his, received the ball as he desired, played it promptly to Mark Hughes to his right and found it immediately returned into his path. With the goalkeeper advancing, Gullit had just enough remaining in his legs to execute a chip of rare delicacy, weighted finely enough to beat Dave Beasant, but only just.

Gullit was delighted with the pass which had given Chelsea the lead after they had contrived to fall behind early in the match. It was, as he indicated afterwards in a charming interview during which he emphasised the need for discipline and hard work to be allied to natural talent, the perfect attack.

Chelsea broke out of defence and with a series of swift forward movements left Southampton for dead. The Dutchman played the final ball, beautifully paced, to Dennis Wise, who had made an astute run into the area. So alarmed was Ken Monkou that he felt his only recourse was to stop Wise in his tracks. The felled one duly scored from the penalty spot.

Gullit's supreme contribution to a thoroughly attractive game - perhaps ensured by Chelsea's methods - rather overshadowed Wise's other goal, which was spectacular. Wandering inside from the left, he was unchallenged 30 yards out and barely glanced up before finding the gap by the right- hand post.

Southampton have rather wasted a run of four consecutive home Premiership games with a win and two draws before yesterday. They took the lead after six minutes when Tommy Widderington got his third goal for the club when his shot deflected off Nigel Spackman.

Having allowed Chelsea to outsmart them in midfield, Southampton would have been grateful to be level again before the break. Matthew le Tissier's free-kick from the left curved to the far post where Neil Shipperley was waiting, but it went in off Steve Clarke for an own goal.