Chelsea laboured to a 1-0 win over a resolute Malmö side to virtually guarantee a place in the knockout stages. Hakim Ziyech finished off a well-worked move with the easiest of finishes in the second half to seal the points for the Blues.
In the first half, Chelsea dominated possession but had nothing to show for as they seldom penetrated the hosts’ backline. Kai Havertz had the best chance of the half one-on-one against the goalkeeper, but a slight delay in executing the shot allowed Johan Dahlin to smother the shot. Malmö, after successfully absorbing all of the first-half pressure, nearly delivered the sucker punch at the other end, Antonio-Mirko Colak shinned wide on the stroke of half-time.
The pattern of play continued after the break and after an unsuccessful penalty shout, the visitors were ahead. Thomas Tuchel’s decision of switching his wingers paid off as Callum Hudson-Odoi combined well with Havertz on the right, before teeing Ziyech beautifully. Chelsea had a chance soon to double their lead but Thiago Silva’s header was cleared off the line. Christian Pulisic came on after a lengthy injury lay-off in the final 15 minutes, and spurned a glorious one-v-one opportunity in stoppage time.
Malmö have lost 7 successive matches in the competition-proper, with an aggregate score of 0-29. For Chelsea, it was another routine day in the office – a dominant display, a win, a cleansheet.
Job done, almost, for the Blues
A point from their remaining two games will mathematically confirm progress to the next rounds. However, all attention will be on the match at Stamford Bridge in three weeks time, to see who finishes first. Chelsea host Juventus in a must-win match for the Blues. If they better the 1-0 defeat they suffered to Juventus, they have a chance of topping the group.
The importance of winning the group cannot be overstated and Chelsea know that from past experience. In 2019/20, they were runners-up in the group, and paid the ultimate price in the next round itself. A 7-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of eventual champions Bayern Munich was handed out to the Blues. On the other hand, last season, they finished first in their group, and went all the way in the competition. Yes the circumstances were different, but that’s just an example of how vital it is to top your group.