toptop
Hakim
Ziyech scored his first goal for Chelsea and Edouard Mendy kept his fourth clean
sheet in a row in a rampant 4-0 Champions League win over Krasnodar.
Jorginho missed an early penalty for Chelsea in their bid to get their first win
in Group E, but Callum Hudson-Odoi got them rolling (37), taking advantage of a
howler from Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
The Russians came out with renewed vigour after the break but a combination of
the flawless Mendy and the crossbar, which was rattled by Yuri Gazinskiy, kept
Chelsea's lead intact.
Timo Werner got that all-important second from the spot (76) after a
controversial handball call against Aleksandr Martynovich, before Ziyech and
substitute Christian Pulisic added gloss to a somewhat flattering scoreline.
Player Ratings
Krasnodar: Safonov (3), Smolnikov (6), Kaio (6), Martynovich
(6), Chernov (6), Vilhena (7), Gazinski (7); Utkin (6), Olsson (6), Ramírez (6),
Berg (6)
Subs: Spertsyan (N/A), Sabua (N/A), Suleymanov (N/A)
Chelsea: Mendy (9), Azpilicueta (8), Rüdiger (7), Zouma (7),
Chilwell (6), Hudson-Odoi (6), Jorginho (6), Kovacic (6), Ziyech (7), Werner
(7), Havertz (7)
Subs: Pulisic (7), Mount (6), Kante (7), Abraham (N/A), Emerson
(N/A)
Man of the match: Edouard Mendy
How Chelsea took control of Group E...
Krasnodar, who finished third in the Russian Premier League last season, were
playing in their first-ever home match in the Champions League in what has been
a meteoric rise for a club that was only founded in 2008.
Chelsea were keen to take the sting out of the occasion in the early exchanges,
keeping the ball efficiently but without much penetration. That changed on 14
minutes when a forceful run from Cesar Azpilicueta ended with a pass into
Werner, who cleverly drew the foul of Kaio inside the area. Jorginho stepped up
in his usual 'hop, skip and jump' style but scuffed the effort against the post.
The Italian has now missed two of his last four penalties for Chelsea, having
scored each of the first eight he took for the club.
Chelsea's play remained pedestrian as it was the hosts that carried the more
direct threat. Mendy looked relieved to see Tonny Vilhena's deflected strike
loop inches wide of his post on 22 minutes.
Chelsea did finally inject some speed into their forward play on 37 minutes,
which resulted in a rather fortuitous opening goal. Kai Havertz found
Hudson-Odoi inside the area but his pot-shot didn't look overly dangerous as it
was straight at Safonov but the young goalkeeper allowed the tame effort to
squirm through his grasp and into the net.
The hosts played with much more aggression and intent in the second period and
took control of the match.
With Chelsea wobbling, Yuri Gazinski blasted into the turf after a corner and
the resulting bounce left Mendy unable to divert at full stretch, with the ball
rattling the woodwork.
An equaliser looked more likely than a Chelsea second but defender Martynovich's
handball gifted Frank Lampard's side a second penalty in the match with a
quarter-hour to play. It was a harsh decision on the skipper, who accidentally
deflected the ball off his thigh onto his slightly outstretched arm.
Up stepped Werner, who blasted home emphatically to seal the Blues' win and
Ziyech added a third moments later, finishing well to cap a strong full debut as
the visitors finally eased their path to victory.
Pulisic added a tinge of flattery to the final scoreline, slotting home at the
near post to cap a fantastic result for the Londoners on a night where owner
Roman Abramovich was in attendance in southern Russia.
Man of the match: Edouard Mendy
Chelsea have kept three clean sheets in a row in all competitions for the very
first time under Lampard, also recording shutouts for the first time in
successive away games under the former Chelsea midfielder. It's no fluke that it
has coincided with the arrival of Mendy between the sticks - his influence on
this Chelsea team has been massive. There's an air of calmness that surrounds
every decision he has to make - it's a world away from the performance levels of
Kepa Arrizabalaga. There were no standout moments to preserve this clean sheet
but every time he was called upon, he answered the call with no fuss, making
four saves.
What the manager said
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard: "I was aware he [Roman Abramovich] was here. It
always makes us happy. I always feel his support whether here or not. It's a
nice bonus for him to be here for myself and squad. I didn't manage to see him
but a couple of my staff members spoke to him. And I'm pleased we put on a good
performance in his home country. Hopefully we made him happy.
"Jorginho has been incredibly successful from his penalties. When you take that
many there will be periods when you miss one or two. No problem with his style
of taking them. Timo, I know is very capable. We have other players. We'll talk
about how we move forward."
Opta stats
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last eight group stages away games in European
competition (W6 D2), keeping a clean sheet in five of those matches in this run.
Chelsea's 4-0 victory over FK Krasnodar is their biggest UEFA Champions League
victory since a win over FK Qarabag by the same scoreline in November 2017.
Chelsea have kept successive clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League for the
first time since December 2015, and in their opening two group stage games of a
CL campaign for the first time since 2008-09.
Ziyech has been directly involved in 13 goals in his last 15 starts in the
Champions League, scoring six goals and assisting a further seven.
What's next?
Chelsea are back in action on Saturday at 3pm with a trip to Burnley in the
Premier League before hosting Rennes at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
Click Here For UEFA Match Press Kit
Teams
Krasnodar Safonov, Smolnikov, Kaio, Martynovich, Chernov,
Olsson Spertsyan 82), Vilhena, Utkin (Suleymanov 74), Gazinski, Ramirez, Berg
(c) (Sabua 87)
Subs Not Used Gorodov, Sinitsin, Kutovoi, Litvinov
Booked Olsson, Martynovich
Goals
Chelsea Mendy, Azpilicueta (c), Zouma, Rudiger, Kovacic
(Pulisic 71), Jorginho (Kante 71), Chilwell (Emerson 81), Ziyech (Abraham 81),
Havertz, Hudson-Odoi (Mount 71), Werner
Subs Not Used Caballero, Ziger, James, Tomori, Christensen,
Giroud
Booked
Goals Hudson-Odoi 37, Werner 76 (pen), Ziyech 80, Pulisic 90
Attendance 10,544
Referee Ali Palabiyik (TUR)
VAR Massimiliano Irrati (ITA)