toptop
Chelsea
secured their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League as they cruised to a
4-0 victory against 10-man Qarabag on Wednesday.
The Blues needed to win at the Baku National Stadium to make it into the
knockout rounds, and were aided by two penalties and a first-half sending off.
Qarabag captain Rashad Sadygov saw red in the 18th minute after pulling
Willian's arm down in the box, before Eden Hazard converted from the spot. The
Brazilian then added his own name to the scoresheet in the 36th minute after a
well-worked goal from Chelsea.
Player ratings
Qarabag: Sehic (6), Medvedev (6), Sadigov (3), Agolli (5),
Rzezniczak (5), Garayev (5), Michel (6), Madatov (6), Almeida de Oliveira (5),
Guerrier (6), Ndlovu (6).
Subs used: Diniyev (5), Yunuszada (4), Quintana (n/a).
Chelsea: Courtois (6), Azpilicueta (7), Luiz (7), Rudiger (7),
Zappacosta (7), Kante (7), Fabregas (7), Alonso (7), Willian (8), Hazard (8),
Pedro (7).
Subs used: Cahill (5), Morata (6), Drinkwater (5).
Man of the match: Willian.
Willian was involved again as he won the second penalty when Gara Garayev pulled
on his shirt in the box. It was Cesc Fabregas (73) who netted from the spot
after being made to retake the penalty by the referee before Willian (85)
rounded off proceedings with a superb volley.
Chelsea were given an early scare in the 14th minute as Qarabag rattled the
crossbar. Mahir Madatov laid the ball off to the incoming Michel, but he could
only find the upright with his scooped effort before Richard fired the rebound
over the bar.
But four minutes later, and the hosts were reduced to 10 men as Sadygov pulled
the arm of Willian in the box and sent him flying, with the referee instantly
pointing to the spot and showing the defender a red card. After some delaying
from the home side, Hazard converted the penalty low and hard past goalkeeper
Ibrahim Sehic.
Chelsea doubled their lead in the 36th minute with some superb football. Willian
picked out Hazard in the box, and the Belgian took a few strides before deftly
flicking the ball back into the path of his team-mate. Willian then made no
mistake in slotting the ball home to give Chelsea a healthy half-time lead.
It took 20 minutes of the second half for Chelsea to have a real chance for the
third. N'Golo Kante sweetly played in Hazard down the left of the box and the
Belgian went for goal, but Sehic made a superb fingertip save to deny him. The
Blues did find the back of the net in the 70th minute, but Alvaro Morata - who
had replaced Hazard - had his strike ruled out after the man who provided the
cross for him, Cesar Azpilicueta, was judged to be offside.
But a minute later, and Chelsea were awarded another penalty as Garayev pulled
on the shirt of Willian in the box, with the referee again pointing to the spot.
Fabregas scored with his initial effort, but he was ordered to retake it after
an encroachment into the area from Davide Zappacosta. Luckily, he also netted
the second attempt, hammering it low into the bottom corner.
And it was Willian who rounded off his superb performance with an equally as
impressive goal. After a layoff from Pedro in the middle of the park, the
Brazilian took a few strides towards the top of the box before hitting a
thunderous volley into the back of the net to seal Chelsea's path to the last
16.
Opta stats
Chelsea have booked their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League
for the 14th time in their last 15 appearances in the competition.
The Blues have kept four clean sheets in their last five games in all
competitions, as many as in their previous 18.
Eden Hazard has scored three goals in his last three Champions League
appearances, as many as in his previous 19 combined.
Cesc Fabregas became the fourth Spanish player to hit the 20-goal mark in the
Champions League (also Raul 71, Fernando Morientes 33, Fernando Torres 20).
Man of the match - Willian
While Hazard was impressive during his 64 minutes, Willian was the man who had a
hand in all four of Chelsea's goals on Wednesday. He won two penalties and
scored the other two, proving to be more than a handful for the Qarabag defence.
The game also marked his 200th appearance for Chelsea in all competitions and he
produced some real moments of quality as he continues to show his talent in the
Blues squad.
What's next?
Chelsea are next in action on Saturday evening when they travel to Liverpool in
the Premier League. Qarabag also travel to second-place Zira in the Azerbaijan
Premier League on Sunday.
Teams
Quarabag Sehic, Medvedev, Sadygov (c), Rzezniczak, Agolli,
Almeida, Qarayev, Guerrier (Yunuszade 81), Michel, Madatov (Diniyev 46), Ndlovu
Subs Not Used Kanibolotski, Ismayilov, Quintana, Amirquliev,
Sheydaev
Booked Rzeznczak, Medvedev
Sent Off Sadygov19
Goals
Chelsea Courtois, Azpilicueta (c), Luiz, Rudiger, Zappacosta,
Kante (Drinkwater 75), Fabregas, Alonso (Cahill 58), Willian, Hazard (Morata
65), Pedro
Subs Not Used Caballero, Christensen, Sterling, Bakayoko
Booked Alonso
Goals Hazard 21 (pen), Willian 36, 85, Fabregas 73 (pen)
Attendance 67,100
Referee Manuel De Sousa (Portugal)