The former Bolton man pounced expertly just before the hour mark, and added a sweetly-struck second following a fluent Chelsea move as Leeds pressed forward in search of an equaliser.

The home side will be anticipating the arrival of Robbie Fowler from Liverpool more keenly than ever, having failed to cobble together anything more threatening than a couple of Ian Harte free-kicks.

They did display their renowned fighting spirit, though Alan Smith took the phrase a little too literally towards the end as he ended Graeme Le Saux's evening with a late barge in the Blues man's face.

Le Saux was not the only casualty on the evening, as Leeds youngster Stephen McPhail worryingly departed Elland Road on a stretcher - having only just returned from long-term injury - following a tardy challenge by Slavisa Jokanovic.

Amongst the niggling, Chelsea played some intelligent football, and were always the more dangerous side, capitalising on the defensive dominance of John Terry and William Gallas to launch a steady flow of counter-attacks.

After a quiet first-half, illuminated only by a narrowly off-target Harte set-piece, had ended with Robbie Keane's penalty-claim being waved away, Claudio Ranieri's unusually unchanged side took control after the interval.

Gudjohnsen had already outmuscled a clutch of Leeds defenders to screw a shot against Nigel Martyn's post when, with Dominic Matteo off the field injured, the Icelander twisted to half-volley a Frank Lampard knock-down past the static keeper.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, operating a hopeful shoot-on-sight policy in the face of his customary Elland Road jeers, should have doubled the lead but miscued from six yards, before a 40-yard piledriver from the Dutchman almost silenced his gleeful abusers.