Chelsea make it five straight Europa Conference League victories at Astana

Chelsea stayed perfect in this season’s Europa Conference League with a professional 3-1 win over Kazakhstani champions Astana in freezing conditions in Almaty today.

The result solidifies their place at the top of the league phase table, and a place in the knockout stage is all but assured.

Astana, who had to host their home matches in Almaty due to renovations at their usual stadium, hosted the Blues in sub-zero temperatures of -11°C.

Despite a lengthy trip, Chelsea’s rotated squad showed their quality early on. Manager Enzo Maresca opted to rest his key stars, but his fringe players grasped the opportunity to show what they can do.

Marc Guiu opened the scoring inside 15 minutes with a fantastic solo effort.

Chelsea doubled the lead shortly after when Aleksandr Marochkin inadvertently deflected Pedro Neto’s cross into his own net.

It was 3-0 before half-time as Renato Veiga rose high to head home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner.

Astana grabbed a lifeline just before the interval as captain Marin Tomasov’s strike deflected in off the post to finally give the home fans something to cheer.

The hosts started the second half with renewed vigour and tested goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen through Tomasov’s powerful effort.

Chelsea soon reasserted their dominance, with Carney Chukwuemeka, Tyrique George and Guiu going close to extending the lead.

Dewsbury-Hall also shot narrowly wide, but the Blues were unable to add to their tally.

Chelsea are confidently marching towards the knockout stage with depth and quality in Europe’s third-tier competition.