by Ben Lyttleton

Chris Sutton broke his duck for Chelsea as Gianluca Vialli's team scored three goals in the final fourteen minutes as Chelsea took a giant step towards qualification to the Champions League proper.

But it was the substitutes who came off the bench to open the scoring against a stubborn ten-man Skonto Riga side at Stamford Bridge. And no, it was not Tore Andre Flo who provided his typical moment of inspiration after a frustrating 76 minutes of goalless action but the Nigerian international Celestine Babayaro, who reacted quickest to Flo's chest-down to drill a low right-footed shot past the in-form Alexanders Kolinko.

Within a minute Poyet, whose uncharacteristic profligacy had earlier threatened to ruin Chelsea's night, had doubled the lead when he curled a sweet left-foot from twenty yards out.

And then Sutton, whose all-round game was impressive even if his finishing lacked finesse at times, turned to fire a left-foot shot to score his 100th club career goal and delight the home fans.

There was even time for the other substitute Flo to hit the post as Chelsea cruised home despite a nervy first half, in which they were left ruing a loophole in the rules when denied a penalty.

While the players were waiting for a corner to be taken, Andrejs Tereskinas kicked out at Frank Leboeuf and was promptly dismissed. But as the ball was dead at the time, the referee ordered the corner be taken.

It was a case of what might have been throughout a frustrating first period, as the home side - including Sutton - spurned chance after chance to see off the Latvian champions.

They should have opened their account in the fourth minute when Poyet headed a pinpoint Dan Petrescu cross wide of the target. Poyet and Denis Wise twice fired in shots from distance early on to signify the intentions of Gianluca Vialli's side.

In truth, the hosts were queueing up to beat the Skonto Riga goalkeeper - Zola had two early efforts, the rebound of one which was nearly seized upon by Chris Sutton. But the visitors - who have faced Barcelona and AC Milan in recent European campaigns - refused to buckle.

They could even have taken the lead when Marco Miholaps cut in from the left and had a shot parried away at his near post by Ed de Goey. This was minutes after Chaladze had struck a dipping shot over the crossbar.

Wise and Frank Lebouef hinted at frustration when they were involved in late challenges on Kolinko. And their frustration would have doubled when Sutton's turn and shot was blocked, only to fall to Poyet five yards out - his shot was miraculously saved by Kolinko.

Sutton then failed to make contact from two yards out with the goal gaping, while Didier Deschamps - one of three Chelsea players, along with Dan Petrescu and Marcel Desailly, to have won the European Cup - had a fierce shot blocked in the area.

The second half began in the same fashion - the Skonto goal being peppered from all sides. But few clear-cut chances were being created, and the closest the deadlock came to being broken was when skipper Astafjevs nearly headed the ball into his own net after a corner.

Skonto Riga had a half-chance when Desailly was receiving treatment off the pitch for a neck injury, as Rubins - said to be the new Marian Pahars, who is said to be the new (Latvian) Michael Owen - dragged an effort wide from twelve yards out.

Normal service was resumed when a Babayaro cross was headed over by Poyet while Flo, who scored within five minutes of coming off the bench in the opening day win over Sunderland, could not repeat the trick when his header was punched away by Kolinko. The keeper did even better when he smothered Petrescu in a one-on-one.

Gianluca Vialli praised Kolinko's performance, but was relieved that his substitutions turned the game: "I'm reasonably happy with that, as I think it's a fair result. 3-0 is better than 2-0, and we can now go to Latvia with confidence.

"But they made it difficult for us and I think we did well because they had mnay men behind the ball and we kept on trying and their keeper made some marvellous saves."

It was only when Chelsea's most skilful performers on the night, Gianfranco Zola and Didier Deschamps, departed for Flo and Babayaro, that Chelsea got the reward that their play had deserved. And then the goals came, they kept on coming. The best news for Vialli and Chelsea could be that Chris Sutton's contribution might just have been the start of things to come.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly, Leboeuf, Le Saux, Petrescu (Goldbaek 76), Wise, Deschamps (Babayaro 66), Poyet, Sutton, Zola (Flo 66).
Subs Not Used: Hogh, Hitchcock, Nicholls, Forssell.
Booked: Sutton.
Goals: Babayaro 76, Poyet 77, Sutton 84.

Skonto Riga: Kolinko, Laizans, Silagadze, Zemlinsky, Tereskinas, Bleidelis, Astafjevs, Rekhviashvili, Rubins, Chaladze (Blagonabezdins 41), Miholaps (Menteshashvili 77).
Subs Not Used: Stephnous, Babichev, Piedels, Kolesnicenko, Olsanskis.
Sent Off: Tereskinas (33).
Booked: Rekhviashvili, Miholaps.

Att: 22,043