Criticism landed at Enzo Maresca’s door for some of his selection decisions in the goalless draw with Brentford on Sunday, but the Chelsea manager’s faith in teenagers Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong and choice of substitutes paid off in Warsaw. The Blues have more than one foot in the Conference League semi-finals already.
Cole Palmer was back for Chelsea yet ineffectual in the first half. Replaced at half-time in favour of Noni Madueke, that allowed George to move centrally and then to score his first senior goal just four minutes later. Either side of a penalty missed by the confidence-shorn Christopher Nkunku, Madueke netted goals two and three.
They can get the job done in the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week — though there is very little left of it to complete now.
Chelsea were promised a hostile welcome at the Marshall Jozef Pilsudski Legia Warsaw Stadium, and the Polish ultras duly delivered. Maresca and his young Blues were met with a cold cauldron of fog and noise.
As the players entered the pitch, an almighty tifo was unfurled from the top of the home end, depicting a lion slain by a knight. Below it, another that simply read: ‘Fear No One’.
Periodically throughout the match, red and green pyrotechnics would go off in that same end, misting over the pitch for a short while and giving 18-year-old Acheampong and 19-year-old George some valuable experience of the more spicy European away trips so early in their fledgling careers.
Apart from the 30 seconds just after kick-off when they allowed the 740-odd Chelsea fans a go at chanting from up in the eaves to the right of the opposite goal, those Legia supporters never let up all evening. It was a constant racket.
As the wins in the Premier League have dried up in recent weeks and months, Maresca and Chelsea have had their pace of play rightly called into question.
They have, in plenty of games, been slow and laborious and in the first half here were no different. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall forced a fine save from range; the Blues achieved precious little else.
Whatever Maresca told his players at the interval struck a nerve, though. That, coupled with his brave call to hook Palmer and introduce Madueke, gave Chelsea the added impetus they needed.
Reece James’s chest-and-volley was pushed clear by Kacper Tobiasz in the Legia goal and George could not believe his luck, coolly slotting home the opener and his very first as a senior player.
With James spraying passes around at will and Acheampong and George on high octane, Chelsea turned the screw.
Jadon Sancho had epitomised the visitors’ far-too-tentative approach in the first half but became decisive and slick just as those around him did, the Englishman dribbling into the box and laying on a plate, twice, for Madueke to stroke home.
The second of Madueke’s gifts came just 25 seconds after Nkunku had fired a saveable spot-kick the same way Tobiasz dived; alas, Nkunku endured another oh-so-frustrating outing, so it was not quite smiles all round.
Chelsea, though, must think of the bigger picture, and their greatly improved second-half showing meant the Frenchman had not needed to score for the Blues to be wholly in control of this tie.
A brilliant night for Chelsea was also a particularly satisfying one for their manager, who has been feeling the pressure of late. Not here.
