'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea bounced back from the loss against Juventus with a dominating 4-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday. The Blues were on top of the game from the start and were hardly tested by the away side.
Andreas Christensen opened the scoring with a fine volley in the 9th minute of the game. Jorginho converted from the spot in both halves of the match, while Kai Havertz struck minutes after the second half kicked off.
Thomas Tuchel did not try and experiment today and went into the game with his strongest possible XI. However, things did not look good at the start as Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner came off with injuries. Speaking to the media about his injured duo, the Chelsea manager said:
"We have a twist of the ankle with Romelu. Muscle injury and hamstrings for Timo. They will be some days out, I guess. The two were in good shape. They have a certain statistics on their side. They are dangerous, they can create and score. We need to find solutions. The guys who waited for the chance need to prove that they can do the same thing. Whoever it might be, the race is on. The guys who start Norwich next game have our trust. We will try to find new solutions. Let's try to stay positive. We won games without Timo and Romelu before. We don't want to have these problems too often. But it happens. It's during the season, you cannot hide from the fact that these type of things happen."
Here are Chelsea's 5 best players from the 4-0 win over Malmo:
#5 - Callum Hudson-Odoi
Chelsea fans were shocked when Callum Hudson-Odoi did not start the game. But he did not have to wait long to get his turn as Timo Werner's injury saw Tuchel turn to the winger.
CHO came on just before half-time, and that warm-up was enough for him to set things on fire in the second half. The Malmo players had no clue how to handle the winger as he darted down the left flank.
Hudson-Odoi set up Havertz's goal today and has all but sealed his place in the team for the upcoming games as Chelsea will be without three forwards.
#4 - Kai Havertz
The German loves scoring in the Champions League and tonight was no different. Tuchel also benched Kai Havertz, but his turn came in the 23rd minute after Romelu Lukaku got injured.
The former Bayer Leverkusen star showed his quality with some beautiful link-up players with CHO and Mount, proving to Thomas Tuchel that he is the man to start up front in the upcoming games.
#3 - Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva was back in the starting XI today after missing Saturday's game. The Brazilian had returned late from international duty and Tuchel had to keep him out of the squad.
The veteran showed his class today with a solid display as he did not let Malmo do anything when they got into the Chelsea half. He even got the assist with a beautiful cross for the first goal today.
Thiago seems ready to start this weekend against Norwich City as well, but Tuchel might opt to give him some rest as Trevoh Chalobah has been doing well.
#2 - Andreas Christensen
Andreas Christensen finally scored his first goal for Chelsea in his 137th appearance for the club! The Danish star was on the receiving end of the cross from Thiago Silva, and his volley bounced off the pitch and was unstoppable.
The center-back has been in fine form lately, and the goal was a reward for all his hard work. When Malmo did try to attack, he was there to sweep things up with ease, and start the counter-attack too.
Without a doubt, he would have been the man of the match today if it was not for Jorginho's two penalties.
#1 - Jorginho
At the start of the season, there were cries for Jorginho to hand over the penalty duties to Romelu Lukaku or Timo Werner as the strikers needed the goals more than him. However, the Italian has shown that he is the most reliable one when it comes to the spot-kicks and him missing a penalty is an aberration.
Jorginho made light work of the penalties as he sent the keeper the wrong way both times. He did not go for just placement today as there was power and height in his penalties – showing that he has a lot more in his arsenal, and he can switch things up when needed.
The Italian is chasing the Ballon d'Or this year, and with a solid display against Malmo tonight at Stamford Bridge, he has taken another step towards the award in December. Many might disregard the display as it was against a Swedish side, but the way Jorginho controlled the midfield showed he was the architect every side needs on the pitch.
