It was hardly a walk in the park for the London side despite their first-leg advantage against the Danish club
Chelsea secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Conference League as they ran out 1-0 winners against Copenhagen in Thursday's last-16 second leg clash, winning the tie 3-1 on aggregate. Enzo Maresca will not be completely happy with his side's display, as the home team were toothless for much of the game while Copenhagen searched in vain for a way back into the tie.
The Blues appeared more intent on defending their aggregate advantage rather than looking to build on it. They struggled to get forward and failed to register a single shot in the first half. While Copenhagen had more joy in getting forward, they were unable to test goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen for the entire game.
Maresca's side came out stronger in the second half, bringing on Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella at the break and the duo provided a lift to their underwhelming attack.
Ten minutes after the restart, they were 1-0 up. As Copenhagen made a mess of clearing the danger, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall managed to win possession and force his way through the defence before sending it in. The Danish visitors kept up the fight in midfield and managed to get forward throughout the rest of the half, but they had no joy with the final ball until they passed up a great chance in stoppage time.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
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Filip Jorgensen (6/10):
Copenhagen had a hard time hitting the target, giving him a simple night.
Trevoh Chalobah (5/10):
Missed a chance early in the second half and struggled at the back.
Tosin Adarabioyo (6/10):
Made some good passes but looked shaky at times.
Benoit Badiashile (6/10):
Had a rough start but was more useful on the ball as Chelsea took over in the second half.
Josh Acheampong (6/10):
Did a decent job despite being used on the left side of the defence as he chased everything down but was hooked at half-time.
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Moises Caicedo (7/10):
Fought for the ball and guarded the back line well.
Enzo Fernandez (4/10):
Couldn't make his stamp on the game as Chelsea struggled to break Copenhagen down and went off at half-time.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (7/10):
Had a weak first half but provided the breakthrough to put his team in control.
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Tyrique George (4/10):
Had a few promising moments but was drowning against Copenhagen's defence.
Pedro Neto (5/10):
Struggled to find space in dangerous positions and was easily kept quiet.
Jadon Sancho (4/10):
Unable to link up with the other attackers in a really quiet game.
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Cole Palmer (6/10):
Chelsea looked better thanks to his ability to find space and boost their attacks. Had a shot deflected wide and another blocked.
Marc Cucurella (7/10):
Provided more stability to the defence and helped Chelsea apply pressure further up.
Christopher Nkunku (5/10):
Didn't offer much after replacing Sancho in the 65th minute.
Reece James (N/A):
On for the last 10 minutes but didn't have time to affect the game.
Genesis Antwi (N/A):
Made his debut at 17 after replacing Neto in the 90th minute.
Enzo Maresca (6/10):
Will be happy his side are through but will have some concerns with how disappointing many of his players were. Should have been a more comfortable night.