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Chelsea gave Russian giants Krasnodar the blues in their own backyard as the Premier League club secured a comprehensive 0-4 win away in Russia in their second game of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
Goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic meant that Chelsea went top of Champions League Group E on goal difference after Sevilla beat Rennes in the other group game on the night.
What made the game more exciting apart from the goals was the fact that fans were allowed into the stadium. Russian fans were also seen cheering Chelsea, as the Premier League giants have a significant fan base in Russia.
Italian midfielder Jorginho missed his second penalty of the season after Timo Werner was brought down near the six-yard box early in the game.
However, the Blues took the lead eight minutes from half-time when a nice move between Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz was finished by Callum Hudson-Odoi. Though it was a clear error from the Krasnodar keeper Matvey Safonov, Chelsea dominated possession, which meant that a goal was imminent sooner or later in the first 45 minutes.
Chelsea were put under a bit of pressure by Krasnodar early in the second half, but the Russian outfit was unlucky not to equalise as Gazinskiy's shot came off the bar after Edouard Mendy was beaten. That was the closest Krasnodar came to scoring despite creating four big chances in the first 15 minutes after the referee kicked off the second half.
The hosts unravelled after Chelsea made a few substitutions that created a lot of problems for Krasnodar in the final third.
Christian Pulisic, who came on for Mateo Kovacic, won Chelsea's second penalty of the night after his shot hit the arm of Aleksandr Martynovich inside the Krasnodar penalty box. Timo Werner dispatched a calm spot kick to make it two-nil for Chelsea.
Just a few minutes later, the trio of Pulisic, Werner and Ziyech combined in a brisk move, with the new Algerian signing from Ajax scoring his first Chelsea goal in a populated Krasnodar penalty area.
A sublime pass by Tammy Abraham was finished off by Christian Pulisic on the brink of full-time as the American scored Chelsea's fourth and final goal of the night to help his team secure their first Champions League win of the season.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five talking points from the game.
#5 Time for Chelsea to rethink their first-choice spot-kick taker
Chelsea received two penalties on the night, but Frank Lampard's men could only convert one of them.
The Blues' designated penalty-taker Jorginho has been having a tough time this season from the spot. Chelsea won a penalty in the 13th minute when Timo Werner was brought down in the six-yard box by Kayo Pantalean. But the Italian midfielder failed to convert the spot-kick as he hit the post, and the ball was eventually cleared by the Krasnodar defenders.
In the second half, the referee pointed to the spot again after Christian Pulisic’s shot hit the arm of Aleksandr Martynovich inside the penalty area. With Jorginho off, Timo Werner stepped up to take the penalty and blasted the ball past Matvey Safonov.
Following Werner's coolly-taken penalty, Chelsea might have a rethink about their first-choice penalty taker. Jorginho has been Chelsea’s first-choice spot-kick taker since the Sarri era, but Timo Werner already looks like a better alternative for the Blues.
#4 Krasnodar failed to build on their momentum in the second half
Despite completing just one-third the number of passes Chelsea made, Krasnodar looked solid for the first 15 minutes in both the halves. The Russian club started the game very well by forcing an early save from Edouard Mendy in the fourth minute and earning themselves a corner.
After going down 1-0 late in the first half, the home side were expected to play cautiously against the mighty Blues. However, after the break, Krasnodar went on an all-out offensive to disrupt Chelsea's rhythm till the hour mark.
A brilliant corner-kick routine ended up in Yuri Gazinskiy hitting the crossbar, with Mendy beaten. During this period, it almost as if a Krasnodar equaliser was imminent.
However, Krasnodar's high back-line and deployment of too many men up front meant that Chelsea capitalised on every opportunity in the last quarter of the game. Three goals in last the 14 minutes spoiled all the positives that Krasnodar could take from their impressive second-half display.
#3 Chelsea get a third clean sheet in a row
Reece James and Thiago Silva, who started against Manchester United last weekend, were rested by Frank Lampard for the game against Krasnodar. This meant that Chelsea were playing with a totally new defensive line as Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta came in.
This was Rudiger's first appearance of the season after the transfer window closed. The German has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea after the arrival of Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Azplicueta took the captain's armband for the night.
After successive goalless draws against Sevilla and Manchester United, the first for Lampard in his managerial stint with the Blues, the onus fell on a new-look Chelsea backline to deliver another clean sheet against modest Krasnodar. Though Chelsea's defence looked a bit shaky at times during the game, it stood up to the task.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can continue their brilliant defensive run against Burnley this weekend in the Premier League.
#2 Matvey Safonov had a mixed outing for Krasnodar
In an interesting turn of events in the first half, Krasnodar stopper Matvey Safonov was the player in the spotlight as he made a huge error that led to Chelsea’s first goal just eight minutes from half-time. This was after ten minutes of seeing Jorginho miss from the spot.
In the 37th minute, new Chelsea signings Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz combined well at the edge of the penalty box, only for the German to slide an inch-perfect pass to Callum Hudson-Odoi. The English teenager, who has attracted interest from European Champions Bayern Munich in the past, took his chance by attempting a shot at Safonov.
However, the Russian keeper couldn’t hold on to the ball as it squirmed under his hands and ended up in the back of the net. It was the last thing that Krasnodar needed just a few minutes before half-time. Unfortunately for Safonov, his misery on the night didn't end there.
Chelsea's fourth goal of the game in the 90th minute saw American international Christian Pulisic take a shot at the near post from a very acute angle which Safonov was expected to save. However, the 21-year-old keeper couldn't keep the shot out and conceded his fourth goal of the night to round up a poor night for the young stopper in the Champions League.
#1 Chelsea's expensive attacking unit finally delivers
Krasnodar were at the receiving end as Frank Lampard unleashed his impressive array of attacking talent during the game. Chelsea had made a few record-breaking signings in the transfer market this summer.
While Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz started the game for the Blues, substitutions in the second half saw Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount come to the fray to keep up the pressure on Krasnodar.
The move paid off for the English gaffer, as all of Chelsea's new signings, as well as the talented young duo of Hudson-Odoi and Pulisic, had direct goal contributions in the 4-0 win.
Despite the one-sided result, the first half and the opening period of the second saw a poor display from the Blues, who were clearly the superior of the two sides at the Stadion FK Krasnodar.
It is still very early into the new season to pass a judgement on Chelsea, but their expensive summer acquisitions have meant that the Blues will be under some pressure to deliver silverware this season.
With Chelsea likely to finish top of their group, they fly back to London for an exciting Premier League game that awaits them this weekend.
