Chelsea 4-0 Malmo: 5 Talking Points as the Blues break their low goal-scoring hoodoo with a home win | UEFA Champions League 2021-22

Chelsea's Jorginho scored twice from the spot in the 4-0 win over Malmo on Wednesday.
Chelsea's Jorginho scored twice from the spot in the 4-0 win over Malmo on Wednesday.

#3 Rain and goals pour in London as Chelsea break their low-scoring hoodoo

Chelsea's Kai Havertz rues a missed opportunity as it pours cats and dogs at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's Kai Havertz rues a missed opportunity as it pours cats and dogs at Stamford Bridge.

It wasn't just the rain that poured over Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Chelsea were absolutely ruthless in their goal-scoring and did not hold back. They finally broke their low goal-scoring pattern in their second Champions League win of the 2021-22 season.

Thomas Tuchel's camp has been criticized by a set of pundits for his strategy of closing down the game once the Blues take the lead in the game. This has led to over 75% of Chelsea games since January, ending in two or fewer goals at the end of the 90 minutes.

With the club breaking their bank to sign Romelu Lukaku in the summer though, Tuchel's approach to winning might have changed a bit. Chelsea are finally looking like a side which wants to attack the opposition goal even after the team is up by three or four goals.

The club have been unlucky not to add past a couple of goals in the Premier League. But this European game came in as a perfect deal-breaker in midweek.


#4 Malmo play into the famous Chelsea trap of inviting pressure and hitting on the counter

Sergio Pena appeals to match referee Francois Letexier during the game.
Sergio Pena appeals to match referee Francois Letexier during the game.

An often talked about feature of Tuchel's Chelsea has been their ability to draw the opposition into their own half. Then they switch the play very quickly to hit them on the counter. This tactical nuance in fact resulted in Chelsea outclassing Manchester City in the Champions League final earlier this summer.

But Malmo did not seem to have done their homework before their visit to the blue half of London.

The Swedish champions took the game by the horns and pressed way higher up the pitch, leaving a lot of space for Chelsea to exploit. The visitors were also guilty of losing the ball in crucial areas. This directly triggered a Chelsea counter-attack and ended up as a shot-creating action.

Pundits would agree that the strategy of John Dahl Tomasson was a clear mistake. Chelsea usually play really well against teams who leave a lot of space behind and press them a lot. Since the Maurizio Sarri era, the Chelsea camp has adapted to playing from the back really well. There is hardly any side who is better at it, in Europe, than the Blues.


#5 A blessing in disguise for Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi?

Chelsea FC v Malmo FF: Group H - UEFA Champions League
Chelsea FC v Malmo FF: Group H - UEFA Champions League

It took some time through the second half, but the duo of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz were quick to leave their mark on the game. They combined for Chelsea's third goal of the game. This came after both attacking players had come on for Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner respectively in the first half.

Lukaku and Werner are expected to be rested against Norwich at the weekend. This might just be an opportunity for the young Englishman and the prodigal German needed to impress Thomas Tuchel. 20th-placed Norwich might just be the playground for Hudson-Odoi and Havertz to bag some goals and assists and make their case stronger.

Arguments are also being raised around Mason Mount's abysmal performance with zero goal-involvement. Nevertheless, Chelsea's huge squad depth was on-show too on Wednesday night. Saul Niguez, Reece James and Marcos Alonso came on later in the second half and had a great game too.

Chelsea welcome the Canaries from Norwich at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in an early kick-off. They aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table and also improve upon their goal difference. That could be pivotal if the league goes right down the wire.

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