With a decisive 4-1 victory against Panathinaikos in the Uefa Conference League, Chelsea demonstrated their dominance. The night, staged in Athens, was charged with emotions as Joao Felix netted two goals, enabling Chelsea to maintain their flawless run in the league.
It was a poignant match for the Greek outfit who were grieving for their deceased defender, George Baldock. His loss was particularly felt as just three days prior to his demise on October 6th, he had been part of the home game’s starting XI.
The mournful evening was acknowledged with a tribute for Baldock; a live band played ‘Star Man’ by David Bowie, after which a silence to honour his memory was observed in the stadium. The opposing team, Chelsea, also paid their respects by displaying a shirt with Baldock’s name and his number 32.
The crowd at the Olympic Stadium was momentarily quietened when Felix netted a goal 22 minutes into the game. In the second half, Maresca’s squad unleashed their full might, scoring thrice in the first 15 minutes after half time. This display of skill and efficiency left the home team reeling and underscored the immense disparity in their abilities.
Among the other highlights of the night, Mykhailo Mudryk rose to Maresca’s pre-game challenge by demonstrating his worth with a well-executed header. This was closely followed by Felix’s second goal and a successful penalty by Christopher Nkunku. Facundo Pellistri, a former Manchester United winger scored a consolation goal in the second half.
Despite their control in most parts of the 2-1 Liverpool defeat on Sunday, Chelsea initially struggled to establish the same dominance in Athens with the team’s composition entirely changed. Things could have gone south for them when Tin Jedvaj of Croatia, attempted to thump a header into the goal, just two minutes in, guided by Filip Mladenovic’s free-kick. However, goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen’s quick reflexes kept the hosts at bay.
“An electrifying, intense environment resonated from the home supporters, but Chelsea managed to quell this fervour with their first score. Felix deftly headed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s skilfully lofted pass in Mudryk’s direction, smoothly continued his run into the penalty area, and neatly tucked Mudryk’s rolled cross into the corner from a six-yard distance.
The only other memorable chance in the opening half saw Bartlomiej Dragowski’s hands smarting from a powerful strike from 18 yards by Enzo Fernandez.
Despite a robust and collective show of spirit from the green and white supporters behind Dragowski’s goal post-interval, Chelsea soon increased their lead. Pedro Neto returned the ball from Dewsbury-Hall and sent a sweeping cross to the far post towards Mudryk. Displaying a strong will, Mudryk outpaced his opponent to send his first goal of the season into the net.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian helped provide the third Chelsea goal with his one goal and two assists, setting Felix up, who fired it into the corner via a deflection.
When Mladenovic committed a handball penalty inside the box off Felix’s pass, Nkunku seized the opportunity to knock his eighth goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Pellistri managed to slot in a face-saving goal after Panathinaikos breached Chelsea’s left flank, but by then Chelsea had already secured victory for Maresca.”