Chelsea romped to a big 4-1 win away at Panathinaikos on an emotionally-charged evening in Athens.
The Greek side were playing their first home game since the tragic passing of defender George Baldock earlier this month and supporters paid a tribute to him before kick-off by holding up placards showing the number 32, his shirt number.
Panathinaikos started the better of the two sides and forced a fine save from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen before Enzo Maresca’s second-string clicked into gear.
The effortless Joao Felix opened the scoring before the impressive Mykhailo Mudryk, who had teed up his teammate for the first goal, nodded in Pedro Neto’s cross for the second. Felix would bag his brace after the break before Christopher Nkunku scored a penalty.
Former Manchester United forward Facundo Pellistri would respond for the hosts but Chelsea’s strength in depth was telling. Two wins from two in the Conference League, few would doubt the Blues going all the way even at this early stage of the competition.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea latest news
- Maresca backs Mudryk to shine for Chelsea after 'slow' progress
- Felix a cut above the rest as Chelsea's second-string send statement
- Chelsea player ratings: Felix oozes class as Mudryk responds
- Mudryk stars as Chelsea ease to Conference League win
Good night!
21:19 , Jonathan GorrieThanks for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s win over Panathanikos.
Find our report, ratings, analysis and reaction below!
Maresca backs Mudryk to shine for Chelsea after 'slow' progress
21:17 , Jonathan GorrieEnzo Maresca has admitted that Mykhailo Mudryk’s progress under his coaching has been “slow” compared to his Chelsea teammates, but backed the winger to kick-on after his fine show against Panathanikos.
Mudryk went into the Conference League group stage meeting in Greece without a goal in any competition this season and having been left out of the match day squad for Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Felix a cut above the rest as Chelsea's second-string send statement
20:08 , Jonathan GorrieAnother Thursday night in the Conference League and another flexing of muscle from the continent’s most glittering second-string side.
An entirely changed Chelsea XI made it two wins from two at the start of the group stage, thrashing Greek side Panathanikos 4-1 in Athens.
Five of Enzo Maresca’s most consistent first-teamers were left in London, in addition to Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia, who were never registered for this phase of the competition to start with.
Chelsea player ratings: Felix oozes class as Mudryk responds
19:49 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea made it two wins from two in Europe by claiming a big win over Panathinaikos in the Conference League.
After a somewhat shaky start, the Blues romped to a 4-1 victory in Athens, with Joao Felix bagging a brace while both Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku also got on the scoresheet.
Mudryk stars as Chelsea ease to Conference League win
19:40 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk starred as the Blues romped to a 4-1 win over Panathinaikos in the Conference League on Thursday night.
The winger scored once and registered two assists as Enzo Maresca’s side made it two wins from two in Europe this season.
FT: Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:38 , Jonathan GorrieIt’s over!
Felix (2), Mudryk and Nkunku with the goals as the Blues make it two wins from two in Europe!
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:35 , Jonathan Gorrie90 mins: Three minutes added on here.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:35 , Jonathan Gorrie89 mins: Some encouragement for the hosts in the final ten minutes or so but you’d have to imagine Chelsea have been happy to let them have the ball, such is the size of their lead.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:31 , Jonathan Gorrie86 mins: Into the dying embers now and Chelsea are just looking to manage the game out, having almost made life much more difficult for themselves.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:25 , Jonathan Gorrie80 mins: Veiga almost puts through his own net and Jorgensen makes a meal of the resulting corner, though Chelsea ultimately clear.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:24 , Jonathan Gorrie79 mins: The hosts certainly responded to their collapse early in the second-half but appear to have run somewhat of steam again.
Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea
19:17 , Jonathan GorrieAnother Chelsea change
Casadei is 🔛
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2024
☘️ 1-4 ⚫️ [70] #CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/59ajBfSsr5
GOAL! Panathinaikos 1-4 Chelsea | Facundo Pellistri '69
19:14 , Jonathan Gorrie69 mins: GOAL!
Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri taps in at the back post to give the hosts something to shout about.
Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea
19:13 , Jonathan Gorrie68 mins: George, who has impressed since he came on, forces a smart save.
Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea
19:11 , Jonathan GorrieMaresca makes changes!
A double change for Chelsea.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2024
☘️ 0-4 ⚫️ [61] #CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/E1fG9yROxB
Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea
19:09 , Jonathan Gorrie63 mins: Diasi wants to get in on the act but his effort after dancing through defenders is saved and the hosts clear the resulting corner.
Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea
19:07Annnnnnd here’s Nkunku’s spot-kick!
It's 4-0 🔥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2024
Christopher Nkunku grabs his 8th goal of the season from the penalty spot 🙌
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/yt1rr5sOOp
Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea
19:06 , Jonathan GorrieHow Joao Felix made it 3-0!
Chelsea have their third of the night 🤩
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2024
A lucky deflection from Joao Felix's shot sees the Blues extend their lead 💙
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/bFkmIvP0Ri
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
19:05 , Jonathan GorriePanathanikos, perhaps understandably in the circumstances, look shot here. Not yet an hour played and the bad news is they’re up against a Chelsea side crammed with players desperate to impress, rather than thinking about conserving energy for a league game they might not be picked for at the weekend.
GOAL! Panathinaikos 0-4 Chelsea | Christopher Nkunku '59
19:04 , Jonathan Gorrie59 mins: GOAL!
Christopher Nkunku steps up and, despite some unwelcome laser pens flashing in his eyes, send the ‘keeper the wrong way.
Panathinaikos 0-3 Chelsea
19:02 , Jonathan Gorrie57 mins: PENALTY TO CHELSEA!
Mancini punished for blocking a shot with his hand.
GOAL! Panathinaikos 0-3 Chelsea | Joao Felix '54
19:00 , Jonathan Gorrie54 mins: GOAL!
Mudryk involved again as he picks up on a cleared Neto cross and plays it to Felix.
The Portugal international’s shot from just inside the box is deflected past the ‘keeper!
Panathinaikos 0-2 Chelsea
18:58 , Jonathan Gorrie53 mins: The hosts have responded well, however, and are seeing a lot of runs from deep to try and overload the Chelsea box.
Panathinaikos 0-2 Chelsea
18:57 , Jonathan GorrieA look at Chelsea’s second!
Mykhailo Mudryk doubles Chelsea's advantage 🙌
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2024
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/HjwUpeMWjh
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
18:55 , Jonathan GorrieA smile on the face of Mykhailo Mudryk. That’s not something we’ve seen too often but he’s been positive tonight and, like Felix for the opener, showed really good desire to attack that cross.
GOAL! Panathinaikos 0-2 Chelsea | Mykhailo Mudryk '48
18:53 , Jonathan Gorrie48 mins: GOAL!
Mudryk gets his reward for a good performance so far, nodding in at the back post after a lovely cross from Pedro Neto.
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:51 , Jonathan Gorrie47 mins: Pellistri breaks forward and runs through the Chelsea backline but eventually slows to allow teammates to catch up with them and the Blues clear.
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:49 , Jonathan GorrieBack underway!
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
18:34 , Jonathan GorrieAfter that bright Panathanikos start, it’s all been pretty straightforward for Chelsea. They’ve not threatened that often, but Filip Jorgensen has had nothing to do since making that excellent early save.
HT: Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:33 , Jonathan GorrieFelix’s goal the difference so far but Chelsea much more dominant than the scoreline would suggest, save for a patchy opening period.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
18:29 , Jonathan GorrieI’ve been really disappointed with Pedro Neto so far tonight. This felt like a big opportunity for him given Jadon Sancho was dragged at half-time at Anfield on Sunday but he’s been wasteful in decent positions two or three times.
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:27 , Jonathan Gorrie39 mins: Felix drags his shot from range just wide.
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:23 , Jonathan Gorrie35 mins: After a fairly underwhelming opening period, Chelsea have settled now.
They look a cut above.
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:16 , Jonathan GorrieHere’s how Felix opened the scoring!
Joao Felix gives Chelsea the lead 🤩
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 24, 2024
A brilliantly worked goal 💫
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/8FwQsgCXTm
Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea
18:15 , Jonathan Gorrie27 mins: Fernandez rasps a fierce shot just over the bar after nice play from Mudryk.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
18:12 , Jonathan GorrieThat’s a lovely goal. Pretty simple in the end in terms of the assist and finish, but it was the intelligence of Felix’s flick that made it, and then the Portuguese’s desire to get himself into the box.
GOAL! Panathinaikos 0-1 Chelsea | Joao Felix '22
18:11 , Jonathan Gorrie22 mins: GOAL!
Ah, well now it’s clicked!
Joao Felix nods down Dewsbury-Hall’s long ball to the onrushing Mudryk, who plays the Portuguese in.
Felix does the rest by sliding in from close range.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
18:08 , Jonathan Gorrie20 mins: It’s not quite clicked going forward so far for Chelsea, which is perhaps understandable given the fact this particular brand of forwards don’t always get a chance to play together.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
18:04 , Jonathan Gorrie16 mins: Mudryk afforded space and cuts inside but blazes a pretty wild shot over.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
18:01 , Jonathan Gorrie12 mins: The hosts are almost in as Pellistri plays a clever ball to Mladenovic but the overlapping defender gets his cross all wrong.
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
17:56 , Jonathan GorrieI wondered whether the emotion of the occasion might prompt a bit of a sluggish start from the home side but it’s been the opposite. They’ve played at good intensity, moved the ball nicely and look the better team in these early minutes.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
17:53 , Jonathan Gorrie06 mins: A touch more success for the Blues as Felix dribbles through the middle of the park and frees Neto, who sees his clever cross out to Mudryk cleared at the back post.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
17:51 , Jonathan Gorrie05 mins: Chelsea are struggling to get a look-in here. The hosts are dominating and Ounahi has just tried his luck from range, although fires wide.
Panathinaikos 0-0 Chelsea
17:50 , Jonathan Gorrie02 mins: A huge save!
Pellistri wins a free-kick out to the left and its swung across to Jedvaj at the back post.
Jorgensen, however, pulls off a brilliant save from a header to keep the scores level at this early stage!
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
17:47 , Jonathan GorrieKICK-OFF!
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
17:42 , Jonathan GorrieBoth teams are in the tunnel after home supporters pay tributes to George Baldock on what promises to be an emotional evening.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
17:37 , Jonathan GorrieClosing in on kick-off now! Going to be quite the atmosphere...
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
17:23 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea players pay their respect to the family and friends of George Baldock after the Panathinaikos defender’s tragic passing.
For George. 💙
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2024
Our thoughts go out to George Baldock's family, and everyone at Panathinaikos FC, following the sad passing of the defender recently.#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/ZP8ZBikIcq
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
17:01 , Jonathan GorrieThe very first meeting between these two teams this evening!
Confirmed Panathinaikos lineup
16:56 , Jonathan GorriePanathinaikos XI: Dragowski, Kotsiras, Schenkeveld, Jedvaj, Mladenovic, Cerin, Maksimovic, Mancini, Ounahi, Pellistri, Jeremejeff
Subs: Lodygin, Lilo, Vagiannidis, Sporar, Tete, Bakasetas, Ingason, Fikaj, Bregou, Djuricic, Willian Arao, Dabizas
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
16:52 , Jonathan GorrieThe Blues have arrived!
European action. 🔜#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/hDmZ0De0Ev
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2024
Standard Sport's Malik Ouzia
16:43 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea line up as expected, with Enzo Maresca resisting any temptation to give the young players in his squad a chance from the start and also leaving the four survivors from the starting XI at Anfield on the bench.
Again, it’s Europe’s most star-studded second XI that will start for the Blues tonight.
Confirmed Chelsea lineup
16:42 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea XI: Jorgensen, Veiga, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella, Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, Felix, Mudryk, Nkunku
Subs: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Tosin, Casadei, Chukwuemeka, Rak-Sakyi, Maudeke, Sancho, George, Guiu, Mheuka
MatchWornShirt Support RBL's New Football Poppy Shirt Campaign
16:33 , Jonathan GorrieFootball fans across the country will be able to support The Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal and have the chance to own match-worn and signed shirts from their favourite players, thanks to MatchWornShirt.
Players across the Premier League and EFL will wear shirts with the Poppy emblem for matches from Thursday 24 October until Remembrance Sunday on 10 November. These shirts will be signed by the players and made available via auction on the MatchWornShirt website and app, with proceeds being donated to the RBL.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea: Latest Conference League odds today
16:31 , Jonathan GorriePanathinaikos – 17/4
Draw – 16/5
Chelsea – 8/15
Odds via Betway
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea
16:13 , Jonathan GorrieA look inside tonight’s venue..
Tonight's setting. 🏟️#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/kfD7Qleytq
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2024
Wayne Bridge hails Chelsea's early season form
15:52 , Jonathan GorrieFormer Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge is pleased with he’s seen from the Blues so far this season.
He told Betway: “They've done well, Chelsea. I think it was harsh for them to lose, but they played well. Arsenal going to Liverpool, which is obviously a massive game, but I think after seeing how Chelsea played against them they could have got a result.
“What [Maresca’s] done coming in there is great, because it was an absolute shambles, to be honest. The amount of players they’ve got, the length of contracts they've got, and for a manager to actually accept that job – it doesn't look pretty, does it? Looking in, I think he’s got them playing how he wants them to play. He must have attention to detail in training because every player seems to know their job and they’re playing so much better. I think he’s done really well considering what he came into.
“He knows what he wants, and he’ll only change if a player can change his mind. You look at Ben Chilwell – he knows what he wants and who he likes. And it looks like he knows how to get it out of the players.”
Cole Palmer says Enzo Maresca tactical tweak has made him 'more effective'
15:38 , Jonathan GorrieCole Palmer has thanked Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for making him "more effective" on the pitch after a tactical tweak.
Star man Palmer scored 24 goals, and provided 13 assists, in a stunning debut season at Stamford Bridge under Mauricio Pochettino, before Maresca was appointed in the summer.
Enzo Maresca confirms Josh Acheampong stand-off as he sends message to Chelsea hierarchy
15:25 , Jonathan GorrieEnzo Maresca has called for an end to Josh Acheampong’s contract stand-off, insisting the highly-rated youngster needs to be playing regular football - and that Chelsea are desperate to keep him.
Acheampong has not played for the Blues at either senior or U21 level in a month amid reports he has been told that he will not do so until he signs a new long-term deal.
Four Chelsea youngsters hoping for chance against Panathinaikos
15:21 , Jonathan GorrieEnzo Maresca has included four academy graduates in his Chelsea squad for Thursday night’s Conference League meeting with Panathinaikos.
The Blues made a fine start to their group stage campaign when beating Gent 4-2 at home prior to the international break and will be looking to make it two wins from two in Athens.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea: Conference League score prediction today
15:17 , Jonathan GorrieEven with a so-called “second-string” side set to play again, Chelsea are a cut above every other side in the competition, and should make it two wins from two in Athens.
Chelsea to win 3-1.
Chelsea team news vs Panathinaikos today
15:16 , Jonathan GorrieChelsea will be without a whole host of first-team players, after Maresca opted to rest Levi Colwill, Reece James, Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto.
Those players have stayed in London, along with Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell and Marcus Bettinelli, none of whom were registered in Chelsea’s squad for the group stage.
Panathinaikos vs Chelsea: TV channel and live stream for Conference League today
15:16 , Jonathan GorrieTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 5pm BST ahead of 5.45pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Discovery + app.
Free highlights: The TNT YouTube channel will show highlights from 8pm.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Welcome
14:58 , Jonathan GorrieGood evening and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s Conference League clash with Panathinaikos.
Kick-off from the Athens Olympic Stadium is at 5.45pm BST.
