It was just two short weeks ago that Chelsea thrashed Malmo 4-0 in a Champions League Group H clash in a one-sided tie. In that game, both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner went off injured. Blues’ boss Thomas Tuchel is expecting to have both players back after the upcoming international break meaning they went into the rematch with Malmo without a recognised striker. Not having a striker didn’t stop Chelsea from Newcastle United this past weekend and it wasn’t enough to stop them against Malmo, despite the Swedish side putting up a good fight.
Chelsea Beat Resilient Malmo In Champions League Action
A Familiar Sight
Chelsea fans will be feeling some sense of Deja-vu following this game as the visitors dominated possession and pressed hard to keep their opponent on the back foot, as has become the norm for the team this season. As usual, it was in the wide areas that Chelsea were having joy against Malmo with Cesar Azpilicueta often finding himself in space on the right-wing to deliver crosses. Despite the Blues being in full flow in offense, Malmo were up to the task in this game with a raucous home crowd willing them to get a result. In the first half, Malmo’s tactics worked as they not only kept Chelsea scoreless but they had the occasional attacking foray to trouble the defense.
That all changed in the 56th minute when Hakim Ziyech converted a fantastic defense splitting pass from Callum Hudson-Odoi to put Chelsea ahead and finally break down the resolute wall of Malmo’s defense. Ziyech’s goal all but put the game to bed as Malmo were lucky to avoid conceding a few more goals before the end of the game with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in particular on the hunt for a big goal or assist to cap off his impressive performance.
What This Means
With this win, Chelsea moves up to nine points in Group H, putting themselves in a prime position to secure a spot in the next round of the Champions league as third-placed Zenit sit on three points after their first three games, while Malmo have no points after four games.
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