Chelsea 3 FC Barcelona 1

Chelsea will live on their nerves in two weeks when they face a fervent Camp Nou atmosphere and try to avoid the two goal defeat that could send them crashing out of the Champions League.

Their hard running and well taken chances to establish this 3-1 win at a passionate Stamford Bridge could all be for nothing if the second half is any indication.

A shocked FC Barcelona found themselves trailing to three excellent goals in the fifteen minute spell before half time but then proceeded to take over the match and test the home defence.

That they only managed one goal as they tried to rescue their own European ambitions was down to frequent brilliance in the Chelsea defence from Desailly, Ferrer and Emerson Thome and they will need more of the same in the return leg.

Luis Figo capped a crisp 63rd minute move by running in Rivaldo's low cross from the left as for once Chelsea's markers allowed the Spanish champions to run free and into the penalty area. Figo hit his low shot as it came across his body wide of Ed De Goey to quieten the celebrations after an end to the first half that sent Chelsea fans into dreamland.

A hurried and scrappy opening by both sides saw both attempt to press space and the ball and squeeze the opposiion. The game rarely escaped from this strangle hold inthe opening phase and there was nothing of note until Gabi reached a driven cross from Rivaldo to turn back on himself and test De Goey with a snap shot.

Chelsea could not get their passing game into action as the Catalan club seemed close to gaining control of the game before the home side lashed in three strikes after half an hour.

Figo handled the ball on the edge of the area to give a needless free kick to Gianfranco Zola who stepped up and placed his dipping shot wide of Ruud Hesp.

Chelsea doubled their lead inside three minutes. The kinetic Zola broke free on a run down the right and passed the ball inside to Tore Andre Flo who stgroked the bal wide of Hesp and into the net. Eariler Marcel Desailly had found Hesp with a bullet header from a Zola cross when any strike either side of the goalkeeper would have given his side a 24th minute lead.

Flo found space on a run down the right side of the peanlty area and lofted an agled drive on the move over Hesp into the far corner in the 38th minute to send the home fans into delirium but this was the last great chance Chelsea manged in the game.

Patrick Kluivert fired over the bar when put clear in the 69th minute and was substituted two minutes later. Flo screwed a 73rd minute shot well wide across the face of goal. The next best chance of the session saw Figo sky a shot from the edge of the penalty area when he seemed about to run in from the right.

This was FC Barcelona's first European defeat of the season and Chelsea must pray that their revenge in the Camp Nou can be restricted to a safe margin but the second half saw Barca come close to finding the sort of form they always reserve for their won fans in Catalonia. This tie is anything but finished and Figo's prove to have been the most important strike on this night of glory for Chelsea.