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Chelsea pipped Malmo FF in the first leg of the round of 32 of the Europa League to claim a much-needed boost ahead of their second leg, and also the FA Cup fifth round clash against Manchester United.
By a 2-1 margin, Chelsea banished the memory of their defeat at the Etihad stadium to a notable extent, an although there still persists a host of issues surrounding the manager's stubborn tactics, use of players and defensive frailties, the Blues continued to march on.
Goals in either half from Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud helped the cause, while for the home side, Anders Christiansen netted an unlikely goal in the 80th minute, against the run of play. As you'd expect, Chelsea controlled most of the game and had the better share of chances.
On that note, let's look at the major talking points from Chelsea's victory over Malmo.
#1 Maurizio Sarri names an interesting line-up
Sarri announced an interesting line-up for the game, as the likes of N'Golo Kante, Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain were rested, despite the fixture being on an away ground, in a knockout situation.
Kepa Arrizabalaga formed the last line of defence once again, while David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta retained their place in the line-up.
Emerson came in for Marcos Alonso, who didn't even travel with the squad to Sweden, whereas Antonio Rudiger paved way for young Andreas Christensen.
Jorginho, much to the fans' growing frustration, started at the base of midfield yet again. Ross Barkley and Mateo Kovacic manned either side of the Italian.
Olivier Giroud enjoyed a rare start, while both Willian and Pedro started, with the latter playing down the right.
Now, what was quite astonishing was that Sarri was expected to rest Jorginho ahead of the FA Cup tie against Manchester United.
For the same reason, we expected Callum Hudson-Odoi to play instead of Pedro down the right.
Now that Pedro has played two matches in a row, he might be used as a substitute against the Red Devils.
#2 Malmo make Chelsea work hard but Barkley scores the opener
Despite having registered over 82% of the ball in the first quarter of the hour, Chelsea were pressed really high by the hosts, who made the Blues work hard in order to keep them at bay.
Tactically, Uwe Rosler got his game plan working extremely well. Whenever Chelsea took the extra few passes to start an attack, the light blue shirts pounced on the defenders. The highlight of their game, however, was the sheer use of physical strength.
Backed by an electrifying home crowd, Malmo's players didn't shy away from lunging into tackles, rash challenges, shoulder-tussles and slide tackles. Time and time again in the first half, they broke Chelsea's momentum.
Having said that, they didn't create anything substantial to test Kepa either. But just as the clock turned to the half an hour mark, a mistake from Lasse Nielsen helped Ross Barkley get on the end of a Pedro cross.
The England international took a couple of seconds to sort his feet out but stabbed home the opener to draw first blood.
Boy, Chelsea needed that first goal.
#3 Chelsea grow in confidence post-Olivier Giroud's goal
Chelsea began the second half at a pedestrian pace, as they were constantly being pegged back by the hosts. However, a counterattack was all they needed to put the game beyond doubt.
David Luiz was called upon three times to dislodge danger caused to the defence, and he did so. Malmo had a fair share of half-completed attacks but weren't making a big deal out of them.
Just when it looked like the game would go right down to the wire, Ross Barkley led an impressive counter.
The midfielder recovered the ball, drove forward with purpose and beat all Malmo midfielders.
He then found Willian in space down the left. The Brazilian teased the opposition full back, drifted to the byline and fed Olivier Giroud, who had to only flick the ball into the back of the net from two yards out.
Post that, Chelsea grew in confidence and moved the ball much quicker, with a little bit more urgency. They certainly looked like adding a couple of more goals.
#4 Malmo score, but Chelsea hold on to pip the Swedish side
In the 80th minute, the Chelsea midfield switched off once again and lost the ball in the middle third of the pitch.
It's always important to defend with the ball as well, and sooner this Maurizio Sarri-drilled side learns it, the better.
After sustained possession from the visitors, as per plan, Malmo left Chelsea stranded as they hit them on the counter.
The ever-willing Rosenburg won the ball in the middle and under pressure from two yellow shirts, he still had a lot to do.
But he kept his composure, lifted his head up and found the onrushing Anders Christiansen. The midfielder got on the wrong side of Kovacic and with all the intent and calm, buried the ball past Kepa to reduce the deficit.
However, from there on, Chelsea controlled the game and held on to clinch a much-needed victory after the weekend's humiliation at the hands of Manchester City.
#5 Is Mateo Kovacic being under-used?
One of the major discussions stirring around Stamford Bridge is Sarri's reluctance to play Jorginho at the base of midfield despite horrendous performances from the Brazil-born Italy international. And that, irrespective of the presence of arguably the best defensive midfielder on the planet - N'Golo Kante.
The now-departed Cesc Fabregas was second fiddle to Jorginho, but since Chelsea couldn't find a suitable replacement for the pass master, Sarri announced that Mateo Kovacic would man the central midfield in the absence of Jorginho.
Now, if we compare the statistics and style of play of both players, we can conclude that Kovacic has been far better this term.
Yes, the option of Kante shifting into midfield will always be a welcome and appreciated move, but should that not happen, why not start with Kovacic, Kante and Barkley?
Allow us to explain. No one is asking Sarri to freeze Jorginho out of the squad, but instead, expose him to some competition for the deep-lying playmaker role.
Kovacic completed over 95% of his passes against Malmo, completed all take-ons and defended pretty well.
He is far more agile than Jorginho and under pressure, the Croatian has the technique to wriggle past an opponent through some decent footwork.
It's time he plays more often, and that not just for himself, but also for Jorginho to realize he's not the only sitting on the throne.
