It was a sight for the Chelsea fans to cherish as the Blues convincingly won their contest against Malmo to advance to the round of 16. Goals from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi got Maurizio Sarri’s men over the line as “Sarri-ball” finally looked effective after its recent dismantling at the hands of Manchester City and Manchester United.
The first half was evenly poised as both the sides looked to take their chances but squandered them. In fact, Malmo players seemed more confident in their approach on a few occasions taking advantage of the subdued performance from the Chelsea players.
In the second half, however, the Blues came to their own and took the Swedish side to the sword. Their blistering pace and shot making ability proved to be too good for the visitors as the west London club went into the next round of the competition in convincing fashion.
Here is how the Chelsea players were rated from their win against Malmo.
Willy Caballero: 6
Had to make a few saves in the first half. Did not have much to do in the second half though.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 6
Looked good on the run as he galloped down the right flank with the ball. However, he was not able to deliver any telling crosses for his teammates.
Andreas Christensen: 7
A solid performance from the defender as he made sure to keep the opposition attackers at bay. Was lucky to escape a booking after making an unnecessary foul to end the night for Markus Rosenberg though.
Antonio Rudiger: 6
Looked a bit clueless early in the match as Rosenberg got the better of him to take a shot on goal. Dished out a decent enough performance in the second half though.
Emerson Palmieri: 7
Produced a number of good passes to initiate attacks throughout the match. Did well defensively also.
Mateo Kovacic: 6
Had a decent match in the second half after not being able to showcase his full potential in the first.
Ross Barkley: 7
Scored an absolute peach of a goal with a stunning freekick from just outside the box. Did justice to his selection in the side after being bogged down by the Malmo players quite a few times in the first half.
N’Golo Kante: 8
Did all the running throughout the match and delivered the perfect pass to set up Willian who provided the assist for Giroud to open the scoring. Seems to be settling down in his new position well under Sarri.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: 8
Another brilliant performance from the youngster as he showed why he is so highly rated. Kept deceiving the opponents with his sublime skills and pinpoint passing from the word go. His confident shot making finally got him the reward as he put the last nail in Malmo’s coffin to help his side get over the line.
Willian: 8
The Brazilian toyed with the opposition defenders throughout the match with his classy footwork and shot making. His perfect pass to Giroud to open the scoring for his side once again showed why he should be starting every match for Chelsea. Also assisted Hudson-Odoi to lift the crowd to their feet at the Bridge.
Olivier Giroud: 6
His physicality and accuracy proved to be too good for the Malmo defence in the second half. Looked off colour in the first half though.
Substitutes
Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 6
Kept the pressure on the Malmo defence with his brilliant shot-making. Looked to extend the lead but his effort was bravely saved by Dahlin.
Jorginho: 5
Nothing worth mentioning from the Italian in his short stay on the pitch.
Ethan Ampadu: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
