After the angst of last weekend’s emasculation by Tottenham, here came the perfect remedy for Maurizio Sarri. A routine victory, two goals to continue Olivier Giroud’s renaissance in form and a first senior goal for young Callum Hudson-Odoi. There was even a goal for Alvaro Morata.
Sarri had demanded a reaction from his players but made 10 outfield changes and any semblance of a contest evaporated after only six minutes. Their modest Greek opponents were reduced to ten men as Yevhen Khacheridi’s lunge denied Giroud when through on goal. PAOK are top of the Greek Super League, dropping only two points in 11 matches this season but their continental performance has been dreadful, with only three points in the group stage.
For Chelsea, this was already a dead rubber before kick-off as Bate Borisov’s victory over Vidi ensured Sarri’s side topped their group. Quite, therefore, what Sarri would have gleaned from this match is anyone’s guess but a handsome victory does at least restore the feel-good factor ahead of Sunday’s derby match against Fulham.
MATCH FACTS AND STATS
Chelsea (4-3-3): Arrizabalaga 6; Zappacosta 6.5 (Ampadu 63, 6), Christensen 6, Cahill 6, Emerson 6.5; Barkley 6, Fabregas 7.5, Loftus-Cheek 7; Pedro 7 (William 66, 6) Giroud 8 (Morata 75, 6) Hudson-Odoi 7.5
Subs not used: Caballero, Alonso, Jorginho, Kovacic
Manager: Maurizio Sarri 7
Scorers: Giroud (27, 37), Hudson-Odoi (60), Morata (78)
Booked: Cahill
PAOK (4-2-3-1): Paschalakis 7, Matos 5, Khacheridi 3, Crespo 6, Vieirinha 6; Mauricio 6 (Pelkas 78), Wernbloom 5, Jaba 5, Shakhov 5.5, El Kaddouri 5.5 (Varela 75, 6), Prijovic 5 (Warda 46, 5.5)
Subs not used: Rey, Biseswar, Akpom, Canas
Manager: Razvan Lucescu 6
Scorers: NONE
Booked: Wernbloom, Pelkas
Sent off: Khacheridi (6)
Referee: Kristo Tohver 7
MoM: Hudson-Odoi.
Their modest Greek opponents were reduced to ten men as Yevhen Khacheridi’s lunge denied Olivier Giroud when through on goal. PAOK are top of the Greek Super League, dropping only two points in 11 matches this season but their continental performance has been dreadful, with only three points in the group stage.
For Chelsea, this was already a dead rubber before kick-off as Bate Borisov’s victory over Vidi ensured Sarri’s side topped their group. Quite, therefore, what Sarri would have gleaned from this match is anyone’s guess but a handsome victory does at least restore the feel-good factor ahead of Sunday’s derby match against Fulham.
Sarri did offer supporters a treat with a rare glimpse of 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi, a key figure in England’s U-17 World Cup win last year. The winger had previously been limited to only 35 minutes of Europa League action this season and has not appeared in the Premier League or Carabao Cup.
WATCH HIGHLIGHT
