A late Marcos Alonso header saw a lacklustre Chelsea edge past Slavia Prague 1-0 in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final tie.
The Spain full-back ghosted clear in the box to nod home Willian’s teasing far-post cross, to hand the Blues the slender advantage midway through their quarter-final.
Chelsea came very close drawing their last-eight first leg tie at the Sinobo Stadium, the Blues struggling for fluency throughout a niggly night in Prague.
3
A late Alonso header sealed a win for Chelsea in Prague
Replacement Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s smart spin and break turned Slavia’s defence at the death however, before Willian served up the perfect cross.
Alonso’s third goal of the season and second in the Europa League proved just enough for Chelsea then, but the Stamford Bridge men will hardly be happy with their performance.
Chelsea will now expect to complete the job and move through to the semi-finals when hosting Slavia in the return leg next Thursday.
The Blues were relieved to prevail on the pitch, in another night where racism hit the headlines.
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
Chelsea’s security team identified and barred entry to the stadium for three supporters, who had taken part in a video on social media where Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah appeared to be racially abused.
Three other supporters in the video did not attempt to enter the Sinobo Stadium.
The best Chelsea could muster in a piecemeal first-half was Willian’s curled effort that struck the crossbar.
Slavia captain Simon Deli wasted a fine early chance by nodding wide. Then Vladimir Coufal failed to connect fully with a skewed header of his own.
getty
3
Willian was Chelsea’s standout player in the match
Miroslav Stoch stung Kepa’s palms, but his strike was never likely to beat the Chelsea stopper.
If Chelsea’s first-half was flat, the opening to the second was little short of tetchy.
The Blues’ glowering looks and gesticulations escalated amid increasingly raucous home support.
Lukas Masopust turned last man Andreas Christensen only to slip, letting Chelsea hugely off the hook.
3
Sarri’s men are now in a commanding position for the return leg at Stamford Bridge
Not even an hour had elapsed when Sarri threw on talisman Eden Hazard in place of Pedro, the Stamford Bridge boss itching for an injection of impetus.
Antonio Rudiger saw his low effort rebuffed by Ondrej Kolar, and then Willian dragged wide from a promising position.
Ibrahim-Benjamin Traore raced clear for Slavia, only to see his fine long-range effort tipped round the post by Kepa.
LIVE ON talkSPORT
talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2...
- Southampton vs Wolves (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Manchester United vs West Ham (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Leeds vs Sheffield Wednesday (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Wigan vs Norwich (Sunday, 12pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Crystal Palace vs Manchester City (Sunday, 2:05pm) – talkSPORT
N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were also sent into the fray as Chelsea chased a breakthrough.
Jorginho had the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was chalked off with Olivier Giroud offside.
A poor punch by Kepa gifted an opening to Jan Boril, but the Chelsea keeper conjured a solid stop to deny the full-back, immediately sparing his own blushes.
Just when Chelsea looked like labouring to the draw however, the visitors conjured the move of the match even capped with a smart finish.
Loftus-Cheek powered through midfield on the turn, before spreading out right to Willian.
The Brazilian steadied himself and whipped in a far-post cross, that Alonso nodded into the corner of the net.
Arsenal transfer news: Lacazette wanted in Spain, plus latest on Zaha and Ajax star Ziyech Talksport Why football managers who haven't won a trophy by 43 years old probably never will
NewsNow: Hakim Ziyech news | Breaking News & Search 24/7
Liverpool will be looking to stay in the title race with a good result against Newcastle on Saturday night. The Reds can regain their place at the highest of the Premier League with a win but know a defeat will mean Manchester City can wrap up the title with a triumph over Leicester on Monday night.
Newcastle United vs Liverpool: Looking at Rafae | SportSpyder
Manchester City vs Watford: Hornets skipper Troy Deeney vows to give 'absolute beast' Vincent Kompany one hell of a battle at Wembley by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 18 May
Troy Deeney #9 News, Stats, Photos - Watford - Football - MSN
Phil's Workouts. Most golfers assume that PGA Tour players who have Phil's physique aren't doing any extensive fitness routine. The truth of the matter is that most of them are on some golf-specific workout regimen. Phil has been on record that he has been working out with the help of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) since 2003
Tottenham news: Champions League success could lead to trophy spree for Mauricio Pochettino's men, says Jose Mourinho Champions League glory for Tottenham could spark a trophy spree, according to former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho. Mourinho - a two-time winner in the talkSPORT 1 week ago
Vertonghen pays tribute to Pochettino amid ´craziest
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told ESPN FC his ultimate aim as Manchester United manager is to repeat the Treble as he prepares to revisit the site of his goal which secured the achievement for Sir
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals injured - dailymail.co.uk
Massimiliano Allegri will 'not be rushed' into next job after leaving Juventus amid Chelsea and Bayern Munich links News May 28, 2019 Allegri is leaving Juventus after a trophy-laden five seasons with the Serie A club.
Juventus: 'I will choose a team I like' -Massimiliano Allegri
Dele Alli needs to focus on football more than off-field distractions like Instagram, says former Tottenham star Gus Poyet fpnews May 1, 2019 0 Dele Alli has the quality to become 'one of the best ever' Tottenham players, but Gus Poyet is concerned the midfielder is focused more on life outside of football than his form on the pitch.
Page 2 - Weblife24 News
Mauricio Pochettino unable to give assurances on Tottenham
UEFA announced on Thursday evening that the Investigatory Chamber of the independent UEFA Club Financial Control Body had launched a formal investigation into Manchester City over potential Financial Fair Play breaches. While UEFA are yet to state which exact period of time their investigation will
Manchester City defends itself over potential Champions
Explained: How Liverpool can overtake Manchester City and win Premier League title on final day Sunday, 12 May 2019 ( 2 weeks ago ) Liverpool head into the final day of the Premier League season knowing they can finally end their 29-year wait for a league championship.
Explained: What results do Man City & Liverpool need to win
Mar 27, 2019 · Gordon Taylor has been chief executive of the PFA for 38 years. Photograph: Peter Powell The chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, Ben Purkiss, was made to fall on his sword as
Gordon Taylor: PFA chief executive to step down after 38
Latest Karim Benzema #9 news, stats, photos and videos on MSN Sport Karim Benzema sets incredible La Liga record which neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo can break Talksport; AdChoices.
Real Madrid news: Karim Benzema continues insane record which
Chelsea 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt (2-2 on aggregate): Blues to face Arsenal in Europa League final after nerve-wracking penalty shootout triumph Chelsea will meet Arsenal in an all-Premier League Europa League final with Eden Hazard firing a decisive penalty in what would be his last ever kick at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal to face Chelsea in all-English Europa League final - CNN
- January 7, 2012 - Norwich 4 Burnley 1. City were on their way to a comfortable mid-table finish in the Premier League under Paul Lambert but still managed to field a strong enough team to ease past their Championship opponents in the FA Cup third round as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment