Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Jorginho brace leads Chelsea romp but worrying injuries mar victory

Andreas Christensen Chelsea 2021 TEAMtalk1

Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Champions League as goals by Andreas Christensen, Kai Havertz and two Jorginho penalties gave them a comfortable 4-0 victory over Malmo at Stamford Bridge.

It was a dominant display by Thomas Tuchel’s side but came at a cost as Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner both picked up injuries. Having lost 1-0 to Juventus last time out in the competition, Blues chief Thomas Tuchel was looking for a response. And he made a number of changes from the side that beat Brentford on Saturday.

The German boosted his defence with the return of Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva. And he also brought back Mason Mount and Jorginho in midfield, with Saul Niguez on the bench.

Jon Dahl Tomasson strengthened his Malmo side with the return of Peruvian summer signing Sergio Pena. The Swedish outfit are in decent form domestically as they returned to the top of the Allsvenskan at the weekend.

But they were behind as early as the ninth minute following a bright start by the hosts at Stamford Bridge. Timo Werner had already missed a decent chance before Christensen bagged his first in a Chelsea shirt.

And it was a centre-back combination that did the damage as the Dane volleyed home from Silva’s cross. The Blues continued to pile forward and Mount lifted a free-kick over the bar on 14 minutes.

Jorginho’s claims for a penalty were waved away on 16 minutes but two minutes later they were awarded a spot kick. Lasse Nielsen scythed down Lukaku for a stonewall penalty which Jorginho dispatched with authority.

Lukaku tried to carry on after lengthy treatment but the challenge ended his participation in the contest. Malmo had their first effort as the half-hour approached but Antonio Colak fired over the bar.

Romelu Lukaku Chelsea Malmo 2021 TEAMtalk1

However, it was only a temporary respite as Chelsea attacked at every opportunity. Ben Chilwell tried his luck twice in the space of a couple of minutes, shooting over before firing straight at Johan Dahlin.

As the half wore on Havertz wasted a golden opportunity to make it 3-0 when Dahlin’s legs thwarted his effort. And the hosts then suffered a second injury blow as Werner appeared to tweak a hamstring and was replaced by Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Rain can’t dampen Chelsea spirits

Malmo made a significant change at half-time as Ismael Diawara replaced injured goalkeeper Dahlin. But just three minutes into the second period the giant shot-stopper was picking the ball out of his net.

And it was Havertz who ended the match as a contest as the rain fell in west London. Hudson-Odoi slipped the German in after winning the ball in midfield and he beat the new keeper with ease from a tight angle.

It seemed only a matter of time before they added a fourth and it came from the spot on 57 minutes. Rudiger’s clever one-two with Havertz ended with him being upended in the box, with Jorginho hammering home from 12 yards.

Tuchel then made three changes as Cesar Azpilicueta, Chilwell and N’Golo Kante were replaced by Reece James, Marcos Alonso and Niguez.

Chelsea seemed content to see out the match having already done the damage. But Mount should have done better with a headed effort 10 minutes from time.

It was a routine triumph for the Premier League table-toppers. But there will be concerns over the injured pair – especially Lukaku.