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Chelsea secured qualification to the round of 32 in the 2018/2019 Europa League season with a narrow 1-0 victory over BATE Borisov at the Borisov Arena in Belarus.
The victory was their fourth successive in the competition, and can confirm top spot in the group when PAOK visit Stamford Bridge later in the month.
The contest was the quintessential definition of ‘Thursday Night Football’, as it was lifeless and dour, with neither team providing real excitement.
Bate were more composed than when they visited the Bridge last month, and even though Chelsea had much of the possession, the Londoners failed to genuinely stamp their authority in the match, and never looked threatening enough to take the lead in the first half.
They finally got their breakthrough in the 52nd minute, and held on to their lead to seal their qualification. We present five talking points from the Europa League encounter in Belarus.
#5 Eden Hazard back to the fold
Hazard has been one of the brightest lights in world football over the last six months, putting the disappointment of last season behind him to captain Belgium to their best ever finish at a World Cup with his Silver Ball winning display.
He was heavily linked with Real Madrid as Ronaldo’s replacement, but as those rumors amounted to naught, and he settled on the task at hand, which was delivering his utmost for Chelsea.
Long chided for his non-productivity in the final third, Eden Hazard has exploded into form this season, as he has benefitted from the extra space afforded him by Maurizio Sarri, which goes in stark contrast to the more confining roles under his two previous managers at Chelsea.
The result has been spectacular, as Hazard has had a phenomenal start to life under the Italian, and is the focal point of Chelsea’s attacks.
The 28-year-old has made the best goalscoring start to a season in his career, and sits joint-top of the Premier League scorer’s chart with seven goals from just 10 matches, while also chipping in with four assists.
The 2015 PFA Player of the Year picked up a minor back injury towards the end of last month which halted his momentum, as he got sidelined for Chelsea’s next two matches, but he returned against Crystal Palace at the weekend, coming off the bench to provide an assist for Chelsea’s third goal.
He started for the first time in two weeks against BATE, and for the entire duration of his stay on the pitch, he was the creative spark for Chelsea until his departure in the 61st minute. This would come as good news to Chelsea fans, as the Belgian is already the forerunner to be named PFA Player of the Year this season, and he is crucial to everything Sarri’s men hope to achieve this season.
#4 BATE deserved something from the match
On matchday three, when BATE visited Stamford Bridge, they were absolutely
blown away by their more illustrious hosts, falling two goals behind inside the first eight minutes in what was an eventual 4-0 victory for the 2013 winners of this competition.
On their home turf however, it was a largely different encounter, as the Belarusian giants held their own for most of the match, giving as much as they got, and finished the match with the feeling that they could have gotten much more.
They fashioned the first chance of the match, but striker Dmitri Baga could only crash against the post after shooting from distance. Moments after Chelsea went ahead, BATE once again carved an opening, but Nikolai Signevich could only watch on as his shot crashed off the post before Rios blasted high into the stands from close range when it seemed easier to score.
BATE were unfortunate in the encounter, hitting the woodwork three times, and were more than deserving of at least a point which would have put them in good stead to qualify, but would now have to wait until the next matchday when they take on Vidi.
#3 Ruben Loftus-Cheek was disappointing
Loftus-Cheek has been one of the more enigmatic stories of English football in recent years, touted as the future of England, the winger cum forward possesses pace and skill in abundance but has not yet been given an adequate platform to showcase his abilities.
He was loaned out last season to Crystal Palace to get playing time, and he impressed significantly enough to get a place on Southgate’s 23-man squad for the World Cup, and it was expected that this would be the season where he would cement his legacy at Stamford Bridge.
Four months into the season however, and the England international still finds himself out of first team reckoning, and has had only fleeting moments, as Sarri has shown a preference for Hazard and Willian upfront, with Pedro being his alternative off the bench.
He scored a wonderful hat-trick in the first leg of this encounter against BATE, to make it four goals in six matches this season, and this increased calls for more involvement in the starting line-up by Maurizio Sarri. The 59-year-old has however stated that it’s not all about goals, and that he expects a lot more from Loftus-Cheek.
He started the second leg against BATE, and was a relative spectator for most of the match, failing to impact on the match, which did his stake for a starting place no favors.
At 22, Loftus-Cheek is getting to the stage of his career where he has to start making regular appearances to forge a name for himself in the game, as he can no longer be classified in the ‘upcoming’ category, and as such, he has to make the most of every opportunity which comes his way.
#2 Giroud finds his scoring boots
It is no secret that Chelsea has struggled in the goalscoring department over the last year, as Morata failed to justify his big money arrival last season, which led to the purchase of Olivier Giroud from Arsenal in January.
The Frenchman has not fared much better, and this striking malaise is one which is not befitting a club the stature of Chelsea, and they’ve been helped largely by Hazard’s goalscoring exploits this season.
Alvaro Morata scored a brace at the weekend in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace in the EPL, leading to him winning a first man of the match award in 13 months, and Olivier Giroud followed his lead with his well taken header from Emerson’s cross in the 52nd minute.
The goal was Giroud’s first goal in over six months in Chelsea’s colors (14 matches) dating back to May when he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
Goals win matches, and with struggling strikers, any club is bound to suffer, hence the return to form in front of goal for Chelsea’s two main strikers would come as welcome news to fans of The Blues.
#1 Emerson took his chance well
Marcos Alonso has been one of the revelations in football since his arrival in London from Fiorentina in 2016. The Spaniard has received wide praise for his impressive displays on the left flank, especially with his attacking forays, and has registered three assists and one goal in 11 matches this Premier League campaign.
His impressive performances have understandably seen him installed as first choice for the left-back position, and Emerson can only watch on from the sidelines as Alonso struts his stuff on the field.
However, the marquee nature of Chelsea means that the club participates on multiple fronts, and all players would get an opportunity to show their abilities as coaches practice player rotation to rest key players and preserve their freshness to last the course of the full season.
Emerson has so far this season been restricted to appearances in cup competitions, and he has largely passed his audition with distinctions.
Against BATE Borisov, Emerson was impressive in his displays, and his pin-point delivery for Giroud’s opener was a moment of real quality which and underlined his suitability to the role as an adequate back up to Alonso for the left-back spot.
