Chelsea made the long trip to Poland to face off against a dogged Legia Warsaw side that has been one of the top sides in the UEFA Conference League. Legia advanced to the round of 16 through the automatic qualification as they finished the league stage with 4 wins and 2 losses in 6 matches.
We were all anxious to see Enzo Maresca’s team selection for the match and he surprised as usual with his rotated lineup. Maresca started two youngsters in Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong and rested his two star central midfielders in Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. The other surprise was Christopher Nkunku starting at center forward despite struggling against Brentford on the weekend.
The first half was a sluggish affair as Chelsea had plenty of possession but not much to show for it. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had the best chance of the first 45 minutes with a curving shot from the top of the box but it was well saved by Kacper Tobiasz to keep things level.
Changes were needed and made at halftime with Noni Madueke replacing Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill replacing Tosin Adarabioyo during the break. These substitutions proved critical later in the half but the Blues broke the deadlock thanks to George and captain Reece James.
James let fly from distance after a chaotic sequence in the box and George did well to read the situation and slot home the rebound. It was quite the moment for the 19 year old to score his first senior goal and he celebrated wildly to mark the occasion.
Eight minutes later the halftime subs would pay off as Sancho danced in the box and squared a simple pass to Madueke who took a touch and slotted it home. It was a well taken goal and a deserved award for Sancho who was industrious all evening.
Nearly 20 minutes later the Blues were given the chance to take a decisive lead as both Christopher Nkunku and KDH were fouled in the box and a penalty was given after a VAR review. Nkunku saw his tame penalty attempt saved by Tobiasz but in the same phase of play Sancho and Madueke connected again to give Chelsea a three goal lead.
Legia pushed hard for a consolation goal that would have made the second leg a bit trickier but Filip Jorgensen was up to the task with a smart save in the 90th minute. This result will lead to some sighs of relief as Chelsea can rotate the lineup in the second leg as it is sandwiched between two big Premier League matches.
The second half was a night and day improvement over the first and it was great to see Chelsea play with some verve and energy once the first goal was scored. They could have had a couple more goals with KDH missing two golden chances but we can’t be upset at a three goal victory. The evening was nearly perfect from a Chelsea perspective and we hope the second leg has a similar result as we look ahead to the semifinals against Djurgarden or Rapid Wien.