toptop
Callum
Hudson-Odoi scored as Chelsea eased into the Europa League last 16 with a 3-0
victory over Malmo in their second-leg tie at Stamford Bridge, winning 5-1 on
aggregate.
Olivier Giroud netted in his fifth successive Europa League game as he put
Chelsea ahead in the 55th minute. Ross Barkley (74) doubled the lead with a
superb, curling free-kick after Rasmus Bengtsson was sent off for a second
yellow card.
Hudson-Odoi rounded off a fine starting performance with the third goal in the
85th minute to seal Chelsea's spot in Friday's last-16 draw.
It will be a boost for Maurizio Sarri and his side ahead of their Carabao Cup
final showdown with Manchester City on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Caballero (6), Azpilicueta (7), Rudiger (7),
Christensen (6), Emerson (6), Kante (7), Kovacic (6), Barkley (7), Willian (8),
Giroud (7), Hudson-Odoi (7).
Subs used: Jorginho (5), Loftus-Cheek (6), Ampadu (n/a).
Malmo: Dahlin (6), Vindheim (7), Nielsen (6), Bengtsson (5),
Safari (6), Traustason (5), Christiansen (6), Bachirou (5), Rieks (5), Antonsson
(5), Rosenberg (6).
Subs used: Strandberg (4), Lewicki (4), Gall (4).
Man of the match: Willian.
Both sides had chances to score in the opening ten minutes. Andreas Vindheim
played a good cross into the box, but Bengtsson could only put his header wide,
before Giroud also skewed a header past the post after some good play from
Hudson-Odoi and N'Golo Kante.
The visitors should have scored in the 13th minute as Malmo captain Markus
Rosenberg took advantage of Hudson-Odoi's poor touch to get onto the ball,
rounding Antonio Rudiger on the edge of the area before sending his effort wide.
Team news
Four Chelsea players kept their places from Monday's FA Cup defeat to Man Utd,
with Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic
remaining in the XI. Callum Hudson-Odoi also started the game. Uwe Rosler named
the same XI from last week's first leg in Sweden.
Chelsea's best chance of the first half came from their first corner as
Willian's delivery, following neat interplay with Hudson-Odoi, was met by Cesar
Azpilicueta, but the Spaniard's sliding effort was saved by Malmo goalkeeper
Johan Dahlin.
Ten minutes into the second half and Chelsea took the lead as Kante's superb
break from deep sparked a counter-attack, with the France international feeding
to Willian down the left, who crossed for Giroud to tap home.
Malmo went down to ten men in the 73rd minute after Bengtsson picked up a second
booking for hacking down Emerson just outside the area. It looked to be a
promising area for a Chelsea free-kick and that was proved correct as Barkley
curled home expertly to score in his second successive Europa League game.
Hudson-Odoi rounded off the scoring in the 84th minute as another inch-perfect
cross from Willian picked out the 18-year-old on the right, who then darted into
the box before firing into the bottom corner.
Opta stats
Chelsea have won each of their last seven Europa League home games, scoring at
least three goals in six of those matches (20 in total - 2.86 per game on
average).
Maurizio Sarri has won 28 of his opening 43 games in charge of Chelsea in all
competitions (D6 L9), one more than Pep Guardiola managed in his first 43
matches with Manchester City (W27 D9 L7).
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is the first player to score in five consecutive
Europa League appearances for an English club (6 goals in total) since Romelu
Lukaku for Everton in March 2015.
Willian, who made his 200th start for Chelsea in all competitions, has
registered three assists in his last four games for Chelsea, as many as he
managed in his previous 25.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been directly involved in six goals in his last six
starts for Chelsea in all competitions (3 goals, 3 assists).
Man of the match - Willian
It was a fine performance from Willian on Thursday, who stepped into those big
playmaker shoes as Eden Hazard started on the bench. He sprayed passes across
the field with laser-like precision and set up the first and third goals with
his efforts.
With Pedro struggling with illness, Willian is a more than capable replacement
to start against Man City on Sunday and will be boosted by his efforts against
Malmo.
UEFA Press Kit
What's next?
It's a big one for Chelsea on Sunday as they take on Manchester City in the
Carabao Cup final at Wembley, live on Sky Sports. Malmo will travel to Osters in
the group stage of the Svenska Cupen.
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Caballero, Azpilicuets (c) (Ampadu 80), Rudiger,
Christensen, Emerson, Kovacic, Kante (Loftus-Cheek 76), Barkley (Jorginho 76),
Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Willian
Subs Not Used Cumming, Luiz, Hazard, Higuain
Booked Barkley
Goals Giroud 55, Barkley 74, Hudson-Odoi 84
Malmo Dohlin, Rieks, Bengtsson, Vindheim, Nielsen, Safari,
Troustason (Gall 72), Christiansen (Lewicki 72), Bachirou, Antonsson, Rosenberg
(c) (Strandberg 62)
Subs Not Used Melicharek, Larsson, Binaku, Ahmedhodzic
Booked Safari, Rosenberg, Christiansen, Bengtsson
Sent Off Bengtsson
Goals
Attendance 39,813
Referee Orel Grinfeld (Israel)