Chelsea turned on an impressive second half display to overcome Polish side Legia Warsaw in their UEFA Conference League quarter-final tie.
Chelsea emerged 3-0 winners against Legia Warsaw on Thursday in a game that is best described as a tale of two halves.
Both sides are miles apart in class and quality and it was evident from the start of the game. But Legia stayed compact against the Premier League side and tried to play on the counter. It allowed the home side to reasonably shore up passing lanes and limit Chelsea’s creativity, but the Blues still partly had themselves to blame for their inability to fashion clear-cut chances.
Chelsea looked confident at times but their passing was slow and lacked urgency. They kept most of the possession – over 70 per cent – but that was it.
In the second half, there was a lot more pace and purpose. Jadon Sancho, moved to the left after Cole Palmer’s withdrawal for Noni Madueke, played some of Chelsea’s best football, driving eagerly at the right side of Legia’s defence and working to create space.
The opener came just four minutes into the half when Reece James let out a strike from outside the box, and youngster Tyrique George turned in the rebound after Legia goalkeeper Kacper Tobiasz had parried.
Suddenly there was a lot more verve about Chelsea’s game. Sancho rolled a pass into Madueke’s feet in the 59th minute and the latter cooly converted. Nkunku saw a penalty saved in the 73rd minute but it didn’t stop Chelsea’s momentum. The Blues got their third just seconds afterwards, when Sancho and Madueke combined again, the former providing the assist, and the latter reacting quicker than the Legia defenders to bury the chance – and the tie.
What Chelsea’s two-goal hero Noni Madueke said
“Yes, [the game was] definitely two different halves. In the first half we were a bit slow in our play. We didn’t move it from side to side quickly enough. We didn’t create overloads. We weren’t incisive in our play. But I feel like we were the complete opposite in the second half.”
What Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said
“We played better in the second half. We still have to learn how to play different kinds of matches. The atmosphere was great; it was a privilege to play in it.”
What Legia head coach Goncalo Feio said
“I hate to lose, but I am still proud of my players. We started the game quite well; we had one good counterattack in the first half, but we should play better with the ball. I hope we will do that in the second leg. But big respect to Chelsea, a team that dominated us today in various aspects.”
What next for Chelsea
The Blues will continue their fight for at least a fifth-place Premier League finish. They face relegation-bound Ipswich at home on Sunday.
