Chelsea's Premiership bandwagon rolled on at the Dell with a comfortable Christmas win against struggling Saints.

Gianluca Vialli's cosmopolitan west London set returned, at least temporarily, to the top of the league after goals from Tore Andre Flo and Gustavo Poyet.

It is the second time in a week the duo have sealed the points for the Blues. They shared the goals which sank Spurs seven days ago. This time it was Flo who struck first, after starting the game in place of his manager Vialli, with a wonderfully-worked goal.

Then, Poyet wrapped up the points with a simple tap-in early in the second half.

Most of the first-half action had been crammed into a five-minute spell, in the middle of the half, when Chelsea edged ahead through the now-familiar route of their lanky Norwegian Flo.

Both teams had struggled to test either goalkeeper during the opening exchanges when neat approach play was not matched in front of goal.

Flo and Goldbaek both fired wildly over the bar early in the game and Southampton's Matt Le Tissier was a long way off target as he tried inspire the home team.

Flo, however, found his range to complete a wonderful sweeping move from Vialli's team. Jody Morris started it with a fine ball to release Gianfranco Zola down the left.

The little Italian checked back onto his right foot and clipped a perfect ball into the path of his strike partner. Flo kept his cool to slide the ball neatly past keeper Paul Jones and into the bottom corner of the net.

Goldbaek and Morris both came close to doubling the lead in a matter of seconds as Chelsea were lifted by the goal. Goldbaek's fierce volley was kept out by Jones and in the ensuing scramble Morris' shot was deflected inches wide.

Any thoughts Southampton harboured of reviving the game in the second half were killed off almost instantly after the break by the softest of goals.

Three minutes after the restart, Dan Petrescu's low right-wing cross skipped sharply off the greasy surface to confuse Jones. The Saints keeper could only palm the ball into the path of Poyet who gratefully accepted the gift-wrapped chance to put Chelsea two up.

It was the Uruguayan's 11th goal of the season but he caused concern for his boss Vialli when he was stretchered off in the 73rd minute after a challenge from Patrick Colleter which earned Southampton's new signing from Marseille a yellow card.

Michael Duberry had a goal ruled out for a foul after towering above the home defence to head in a Zola corner.

Saints rallied briefly towards the end. Egil Ostenstad came closest when he headed against the crossbar from close range and James Beattie rifled a shot just over when Chelsea failed to clear a left-wing corner properly.

Southampton: Jones, Hiley, Colleter, Palmer, Monkou, Lundekvam, Le Tissier (Ripley 25), Oakley (Dodd 81), Ostenstad, Beattie, Kachloul, Ripley (Basham 45).

Subs Not Used: Bridge, Stensgaard.

Booked: Colleter.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Duberry, Leboeuf, Goldbaek, Petrescu, Morris, Poyet (Terry 73), Babayaro, Flo (Nicholls 83), Zola.

Subs Not Used: Forssell, Myers, Hitchcock.

Booked: Morris, Babayaro.

Goals: Flo 20, Poyet 48.

Att: 15,253

Ref: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).