Chelsea are through to a European semi-final after overcoming Polish club Legia Warsaw over two legs.
The Blues are now in the semis of the Conference League after a 4-2 aggregate success in the quarter-finals.
Enzo Maresca’s side won 3-0 away from home against Legia Warsaw in last week’s first leg. Even though they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, they’ve progressed to keep their European journey alive this season.
Chelsea want to create history by becoming the first club to win every major European trophy, and they’re now only three matches away from doing just that.
Overall, the Blues were well below par after losing on the night Thursday’s second leg. It’s definitely a sign of where the team’s confidence is at right now.
Chelsea player ratings vs Legia Warsaw
Filip Jorgensen – 4/10
Unfortunately, Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen didn’t shine during the second leg. He gifted Legia Warsaw some hope by mistiming a challenge to give the visitors a penalty. Afterwards, many will argue he should have saved the spot-kick, but the ball found its way beyond his weak glove.
Josh Acheampong – 6/10
Even though Josh Acheampong started at right-back, he was the full-back asked to invert and join the midfield. The youngster looked fairly tidy as he learns on the job. Maresca raved about Acheampong after his display in the first leg. Tonight, the whole team weren’t quite up to scratch.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 5/10
There’s not a great deal to talk about with Tosin Adarabioyo, but he was part of a defence that conceded twice. He was fairly safe with his passes as he enjoyed so much of the football.
Benoit Badiashile – 5/10
Like his centre-back partner Tosin, Benoit Badiashile had so much possession of the football. While he’s an accurate passer, we feel he can be a bit more progressive and quicker.
Marc Cucurella – 8/10
Marc Cucurella scored his sixth goal of the season to make it 1-1 and ease a few nerves inside the stadium amid his team’s shaky performance. The left-back put in the type of all-action display that epitomises how great he’s been all campaign. He was substituted off in the 58th minute.
Reece James – 5/10
We saw Reece James starting again in a central midfield position, which is a role he can do well but not spectacularly. The Chelsea captain was guilty at times of losing possession in bad areas. We’d still much prefer to see him playing at right-back.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5/10
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been a major bright spark in the club’s Conference League campaign, but he couldn’t quite enjoy the same level of impact in central midfield during the second leg.
Jadon Sancho – 7/10
It’s great to see that Blues winger Jadon Sancho has hit a purple patch of form. He continued his recent run of eye-catching displays with another versus Legia Warsaw, which included his 10th assist of the season. The Englishman looked really threatening from the right wing and assisted Cucurella’s goal with a low cross after beating the full-back. He was taken off in the closing stages.
Cole Palmer – 5/10
Yet again, Cole Palmer endured a frustrating evening after his slightly surprising inclusion in the XI. The attacking playmaker missed a 1v1 chance in the opening minute, lashing the ball wide of the goal. While there were glimpses of his star quality, he looks way off his best standard. He was removed early in the second half, perhaps with one eye on Sunday’s trip to Fulham in the Premier League.
Christopher Nkunku – 5/10
Blues fans are still waiting to see Christopher Nkunku really burst into life this season. In this game, he occasionally pressed well and there was some intent. However, he had one weak attempt on goal go straight to the goalkeeper. It’s yet another reminder that he’s not at his best starting from the left wing.
Nicolas Jackson – 3/10
Nicolas Jackson was pretty much invisible during the Legia Warsaw match. The reality is the centre-forward had pretty much zero involvement before being substituted off at the half-time break.
| Minutes played | Goals | Assists | Touches | Touches in opposition box | Accurate passes | Chances created | Total shots |
| 45 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6/8 (75%) | 0 | 0 |
Substitutes
Tyrique George – 6/10
It was quite disappointing to see Tyrique George named on the bench against Legia Warsaw, but he made an impact after coming on at half time to lead the line. The versatile attacker won’t quite believe he didn’t get on the scoresheet. He had one shot cleared off the line, plus a goal ruled out for offside in the build up.
Malo Gusto – 6/10
Malo Gusto came on at left-back to give Cucurella some rest during the second period. He was decent and tried to race forward during his cameo.
Noni Madueke – 6/10
It’s quite obvious that Noni Madueke injected some urgency and directness during just over half an hour on the pitch. At this moment, he should be starting in Chelsea’s best XI.
Pedro Neto – N/A
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