Chelsea thrillingly displayed their ability to rise to the biggest occasions of all with a memorable 3-1 Champions' League quarter-final first-leg triumph against tournament favourites Barcelona.

But never, even in their wildest dreams, could the Blues have predicted such an historic result as the lead which they secured ahead of the return fixture at the Nou Camp in a fortnight's time.

The Blues' array of overseas internationals, such as former European Cup winners Marcel Desailly and Didier Deschamps, may sometimes struggle at venues like at Vicarage Road or Pride Park.

But put them into the heart of a full-blooded European encounter with Spanish champions Barcelona, who had been unbeaten in their 12 group games, and the pulse quickens, the stride lengthens and the net result holds immense promise.

For make no mistake, even previous thrilling wins against Galatasaray and Feyenoord, or draws against AC Milan and Lazio, have rivalled this 3-1 win for significance.

The key to Chelsea's victory was a devastating eight-minute spell towards the end of an intoxicating first half, as first Gianfranco Zola curled home a superb free-kick and then Tore Andre Flo struck twice with a close-range finish and an accomplished lob.

The two strikers have had numerous problems in front of goal since the New Year but having both scored against Feyenoord in mid-March, they again rediscovered their finishing touch when it mattered most.

And while the return of the Blues' talisman Dennis Wise to European action was certainly crucial in midfield alongside the inspirational figure of Jody Morris, Zola was simply outstanding as he produced surely his best display of an inconsistent season.

Barcelona managed to strike back with a second-half goal by Luis Figo to sound a worrying note of caution and to ensure that Chelsea must remain realistic as they could still go out if they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in the return fixture in the Nou Camp.

But even the potentially crucial concession of an away goal, as well as the concerted second-half pressure by the visitors, should not take the gloss off what was a truly memorable night at Stamford Bridge.

Do not forget that, having lost at home in Europe for the first time ever against Lazio, Chelsea had been condemned to the supposedly impossible task of overcoming the favourites, who had scored 112 goals this season - 36 of them in 12 European games.

After all, this was the team that tore Arsenal apart in a 4-2 win at Wembley earlier this season but, for all of their wealth of attacking talent in the shape of Rivaldo, Patrick Kluivert and Luis Figo, Barcelona's defence remains their one Achilles heel.

They had conceded three goals on six previous occasions this season and were, perhaps crucially, deprived of the heartbeat of their side, defensive midfielder Josep Guardiola, through injury at Stamford Bridge.

Vialli meanwhile employed three central midfield terriers in Wise, Jody Morris and Didier Deschamps, and they snapped at the visitors' heels straight from the kick-off.

Barcelona threatened first, with Rivaldo curling a superb free-kick which keeper Ed De Goey dived to claw away, while the Dutchman also denied Gabri at the near-post when the Brazilian world player of the year crossed the ball back in.

Chelsea responded by counter-attacking at frightening speed and while Morris hit his shot into the ground, it was an appetising foretaste of what was to come.

After Emerson Thome - ably replacing the suspended Frank Leboeuf - had produced a superb covering tackle on Rivaldo, Zola crossed for Desailly to power a thundering header just too close to keeper Ruud Hesp.

There was nothing that the Dutch keeper could do, however, to keep out Zola's magical curling free-kick on 25 minutes after Figo had been cautioned for handball.

It was amazingly the Italian's first goal of the season from a dead-ball effort but those countless hours of overtime on the training ground, spent practising what is normally his trademark, had finally paid off.

If that strike wounded Barcelona's pride, they were soon almost fatally injured as Chelsea were galvanised into a devastating eight-minute spell.

Wise, Morris and Deschamps established a stranglehold on central midfield, Zola was simply inspired and, after a brief pause in which Rivaldo shot wide, ex-Barcelona defender Albert Ferrer then picked out the Italian in space on the edge of the penalty area.

Zola again made the most of the opening by crossing low, straight into the path of Flo, who flicked the ball inside the far post with aplomb.

Just four minutes later the Norwegian was put clean through a second time as this time Deschamps sliced open the Barcelona defence and, having immediately spotted keeper Hesp straying off his line, Flo calmly lobbed him to spark ecstatic scenes on the Chelsea bench.

Vialli will nevertheless surely have urged caution at half-time, given that Barcelona came back from 3-0 down against Newcastle three years ago to only just lose 3-2 at St James's Park.

The attack-minded Spaniards can certainly never be discounted and they duly threw on another striker, Jari Litmanen, for full-back Carles Puyol at the break.

Nineteen minutes later, they finally pulled a goal back by similarly carving their way through Chelsea's defence, with Rivaldo's cross picking out Figo, who had escaped the attentions of Desailly, to shoot past De Goey.

The remaining 26 minutes were an ominous warning of what is come at the Nou Camp - sustained Barcelona pressure as yet another multi-million pound striker, Dani, was plucked off the bench to strengthen their attacking options.

Flo pulled a shot wide on the counter-attack and a scramble in the box almost resulted in a goal but Barcelona simply sped away on the counter-attack and Figo should have been on target after a thrilling one-two with Gabri.

With Desailly and Thome forming an impenetrable barrier at the back, Chelsea remained resolute and came through probably the biggest ever test of their renaissance with flying colours.

A standing ovation, to the sound of Land of Hope and Glory at cosmopolitan Stamford Bridge, was indeed richly deserved

Teams:

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly, Thome, Babayaro, Petrescu (Di Matteo 71), Wise, Deschamps, Morris, Flo (Sutton 87), Zola.

Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Hogh, Poyet, Lambourde, Harley.

Booked: Petrescu, Zola.

Goals: Zola 30, Flo 34, 38.

Barcelona: Hesp, Puyol (Litmanen 46), Abelardo, F. De Boer, Bogarde, Gabri, Xavi, Cocu, Figo, Kluivert (Dani 71), Rivaldo.

Subs Not Used: Arnau, Reiziger, Dehu, Guardiola, Simao.

Booked: Figo, Gabri, Cocu.

Goals: Figo 64.

Att: 33,662

Ref: Markus Merk (Germany).