Chelsea put in a dominant performance to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory over Legia Warsaw in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League quarter-final tie at the Marshall Jozef Pilsudski Legia Warsaw Stadium on Thursday evening.
Despite Legia boasting the most clean sheets in the Conference League this season (five), Chelsea, who have maintained a perfect record in the competition thus far, ultimately proved too strong.
The first half saw Legia put up a resilient defense, frustrating the heavily favored Chelsea side. In fact, the Polish team even managed more shots in the opening half-hour, with Luquinhas and Ryoya Morishita both firing off-target. Christopher Nkunku had a similar miss for Chelsea.
As the interval approached, Chelsea began to find more openings. Legia goalkeeper Kacper Tobiasz was called into action to push Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s curling shot wide, and Nkunku went close with a header. Dewsbury-Hall then squandered a golden opportunity just before half-time, heading wide from close range when unmarked.
However, the second half saw a rapidfire start from Chelsea. Within five minutes of the restart, they had established a two-goal lead. Dewsbury-Hall had already headed another chance over the bar when Reece James’ shot was saved by Tobiasz, allowing Tyrique George to tap in the rebound for his first senior Chelsea goal.
Chelsea maintained their momentum, and soon doubled their advantage when Noni Madueke slotted home from close range. Jadon Sancho then tested Tobiasz with another shot.
Dewsbury-Hall will have rued his missed opportunities after sending another effort over the bar midway through the second half. Nkunku also saw another shot saved by the increasingly busy Tobiasz, and was then denied from the penalty spot after Dewsbury-Hall was brought down in the area by Patryk Kun. Tobiasz made a good save to deny the Frenchman.
Despite the missed penalty, Chelsea didn’t have to wait long for their third goal. Madueke was on hand once again to sweep in a low cross from Sancho, sealing a comprehensive victory for Enzo Maresca’s side.
Legia substitute Filip Jorgensen made a late save to deny Kun, but it was ultimately a comfortable win for Chelsea, who will feel they have a strong foothold in the tie heading into the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
For Legia Warsaw, this will be a disappointing result in their first European quarter-final appearance in 29 years, leaving them with a mountain to climb in London.
