By Joe Bernstein

Little Dennis Wise put Chelsea top of the group with a bit of headed help from his even smaller team-mate Gianfranco Zola.

Somehow, 5ft 5ins Zola climbed above the Marseille defence to nod down a centre from Tore Andre Flo and Wise did the rest, controlling the ball with his chest and smashing it home from close range on 27 minutes.

Manager Gianluca Vialli may not like the Champions League format but it seems he may have to go all the way to the final.

Chelsea are above Feyenoord, on goal difference, and Lazio. A victory in Rotterdam against the Dutch side next week will secure a quarter-final spot.

Not that Chelsea were comfortable against Marseille.

A strong second-half showing from the French club included substitute Ivan De La Pena hitting the post from a marvellous 30-yard free-kick.

Chelsea will think they deserved the three points though for their showing in the opening 45 minutes.

Celestine Babayaro, playing his first match at Stamford Bridge since disappearing after African Nations Cup duty for Nigeria, somehow contrived to miss two chances from a total of five yards.

Minute-by-minute action

1min: Gustavo Poyet gets forward but his early drive is narrowly wide from 12 yards

11mins: Tore Andre Flo sets up Gianfranco Zola six yards out but the little Italian - in poor scoring form - delays and his shot is charged down by Luccin

14mins: Incredible let-off for Marseille. Poyet's header is nodded on by Celestine Babayaro from only four yards but somehow Trevisan sticks out a despairing hand to deflect the ball away

16mins: Pouget gets the French side's first sight of goal but shoots wide from an acute angle

26mins: GOAL! Chelsea take a deserved lead. Flo's cross from the left is improbably won in the air by 5ft 5ins Zola and Dennis Wise is on hand to chest down and shoot home from close range

 38mins: Ibrahima Bakayoko sends Frank Leboeuf flying with a shove in the chest. But the French defender is the one who is booked for the original foul

44mins: Another incredible miss from Babayaro. From only three yards he lazily flicked out a left leg and then the ball sideways instead of between the posts

Second half

63mins: Jerome Leroy tries his luck from 20 yards - the shot is goalbound until Leboeuf bravely gets in the way to block with his head

65mins: Jean-Pierre Cyprien makes way for former Barcelona idol Ivan De La Pena

73mins: The tireless Zola tries to wriggle past two defenders and the goalkeeper and is only stopped four yards out

81mins: De La Pena tries an audacious free-kick from the 30 yards which dips suddenly and strikes the post with Ed de Goey stranded

90mins: Former Everton striker Bakayoko is gifted a brilliant opportunity for an injury-time equaliser but squeezes hit shot inches past the far post

Teams
Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Leboeuf, Desailly, Babayaro, Morris, Deschamps, Wise, Poyet, Flo, Zola
Subs: Cudicini, Sutton, Di Matteo, Ambrosetti, Lambourde, Thome, Harley

Marseille: Trevisan, Cyprien, Luccin, Abardonado, Perez, Brando, Leroy, Dalmat, Pires, Bakayoko, Pouget
Subs: Carasso, Martin, De La Pena, Keita, Martini, Fischer, Moses. Referee: J Fernandez Marin (Spain)