Chelsea 1-0 MOL Vidi: 5 Talking Points

#2 Videoton frustrate Chelsea with watertight defense

Vidi's stubborn defense frustrated Chelsea

Normally the best way for a small team to avoid a battering at the hands of a highly superior side is to keep things tight at the back by pushing back bodies and crowding the area. It may not guarantee a favourable result, but at least avoid embarrassing scorelines. And that's exactly what Videoton did with great success.

Set out in a 4-3-2-1 shape, almost the entire team, apart from the forwards, dropped deep to deny the hosts any space to create something when on the ball. This forced Chelsea into an excruciating kneading of the ball around the park for large spells that might have bored you to sleep. In fact, they threaded together 695 passes with an accuracy of 91%, only to come up with just a solitary goal. But that's a testament to Videoton's stubbornness.

To add more perspective, they faced 27 shots, but only 5 were on target. The Hungarians were difficult to break from the open play as close man-marking and compact defense frustrated Chelsea. In the second instance when they were beaten, Videoton were made to pay: Cesc Fabregas sent in a cross from over the top that Willian raced behind the backline to head back for Morata to tap in.

It was a great move by the Blues, but an encouraging performance by the visitors, nevertheless.