Chelsea stored their UEFA Champions League ambitions firmly on monitor with a slim however very important 1-0 victory over Pafos at Stamford Bridge in the present day. The consequence, which prolonged the Blues’ spectacular house file in Europe, got here in a match they dominated for lengthy spells however needed to work arduous to win.
Forward of the encounter, SoftFootball had highlighted Chelsea’s confidence at house and their intention to construct on that energy towards the Cypriot facet, a theme that performed out as anticipated on the night time in west London. The win was additionally one other small step in Liam Rosenior’s early reign as Chelsea head coach, coming shortly after a optimistic begin domestically.
That rising sense of stability below Rosenior has been evident since his arrival, together with the momentum gained from his Premier League debut victory, which SoftFootball coated when Chelsea beat Brentford in his first league match in cost. Towards Pafos, the efficiency was not flawless, however the final result mattered most.
Chelsea managed possession from the outset, having fun with greater than 70 % of the ball and pinning Pafos deep in their very own half. Probabilities got here and went within the first half, with Pedro Neto firing over early on and Enzo Fernández seeing a header dominated out for a foul.
Regardless of the stress, Pafos remained harmful on the counter, coming closest when Jajá’s deflected effort struck the publish, briefly silencing the house crowd. After the break, the sample remained the identical. Chelsea pushed, Pafos resisted.
Jay Gorter was excellent in objective for the guests, denying Moisés Caicedo on a number of events and producing sharp saves to frustrate the likes of Neto and the vigorous Estêvão after his introduction.
The breakthrough lastly arrived within the 78th minute when a nook brought on chaos within the field. Benoît Badiashile’s flick-on discovered Caicedo, who reacted quickest to move house from shut vary.
That objective proved decisive. Pafos threw our bodies ahead late on however couldn’t discover an equaliser, leaving Chelsea to rejoice an important three factors. The consequence shared on the membership’s official X account, lifts the Blues into the highest eight on objective distinction and units up a decisive closing league section match away at Napoli.
For Chelsea, the trail to computerized qualification stays tough, however nights like this guarantee it’s nonetheless very a lot potential.
