Raheem Sterling and debutant Denis Zakaria sealed a comfortable 2-1 win for Chelsea over Dinamo Zagreb as they ended their Group E campaign with a victory before heading into the Champions League knockout stages.
Two first half strikes from Sterling and Zakaria were enough to dispatch Dinamo Zagreb, who had taken the lead earlier in the opening 45.
Having already topped Group E, Chelsea had very little to play for against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday evening, and they let this show by sleepwalking into an early deficit.
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Zagreb worked the ball towards Chelsea’s box, before sending in a cross which awkwardly came off the back of Cesar Azpilicueta’s head, looping kindly into the path of Bruno Petkovic, who guided his header past Edouard Mendy from close range with Chelsea’s defenders static.
Going a goal down seemed to wake the Blues up, and it was not long before they equalised through Raheem Sterling.
Jorginho sent a penetrative through ball into Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, who did well to retrieve it before sending a cute back-heel into the path of Sterling. Sterling remained composed in the box, working a yard of space for himself and coolly slotting his effort into the bottom corner.
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Sterling should have added his second goal soon after, blazing over on the half volley after being picked out in acres of space by a Kai Havertz cross, as the blues superiority began to show.
Chelsea finally went ahead two minutes later courtesy of debutant Denis Zakaria. Mason Mount led a nice passing move down the right hand side, before pulling the ball back into the box where Zakaria was on hand to power a strike into the bottom corner despite the best efforts of Zagrebs defenders to keep it out on the goal line.
Chelsea continued to dominate in the second half and created a few good openings, yet Dinamo Zagreb were able to keep the Blues out, resulting in a comfortable win for Chelsea on the night. One negative Chelsea will unfortunately take from the evening is the late hamstring injury of Ben Chilwell, who will be worried about his fitness with the World Cup around the corner.
Here is what Absolute Chelsea learned from the win against Dinamo Zagreb.
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1) Graham Potter’s strong line-up for morale booster justified ahead of Arsenal clash
With Group E already won, you would be forgiven for thinking Graham Potter may use the game against Zagreb to take his foot off the gas, especially with Sunday’s crunch clash with Arsenal looming. However, Potter surprisingly did not take the opportunity to rest many of his key players ahead of arguably the most important match of the season so far against the Gunners. Potter’s decision now looks justified, after Chelsea impressed throughout the contest, creating many promising openings through flowing team moves in what was a very positive performance. Strong performances from Mason Mount, Havertz and especially Raheem Sterling will hopefully fill Chelsea with confidence ahead of the weekend.
2) Solid debut for Denis Zakaria
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After signing on loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day all the way back on September 1st, it is fair to say Denis Zakaria’s debut took longer than many would have predicted. However, after finally being granted an opportunity by Graham Potter, Zakaria took it with both hands, putting in a strong performance for the blues. Zakaria’s most eye-catching moment was obviously the goal, a well taken finish slotted into the bottom corner after sensing space on the edge of the box, to give his side the lead.
Beyond the goal, Zakaria was tidy in possession and aggressive in the tackle, working well as a more destructive foil for Jorginho in the midfield pivot.
3) Bouncing back from Brighton defeat
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After the 4-1 humbling at the Amex last weekend, it was imperative Chelsea put on a strong performance in order to re-build some confidence, especially with Arsenal being the next visitors to Stamford Bridge. It did look like the Blues were still carrying a hangover from the Brighton game, going behind to an early Petkovic goal after some sloppy defending. However, this goal seemed to give the side the jolt of energy it needed, as Chelsea took complete control of the game after this. Potter will be pleased by the mentality his team showed to fight back, albeit against opponents he would hope to defeat.
4) Trevoh Chalobah continues to stake his claim
After Wesley Fofana’s injury against AC Milan, many Chelsea fans were worried about how the team's defensive performances would suffer in his absence. However, Trevoh Chalobah has filled in extremely well, and is making an increasingly compelling case that he should be a regular starter, regardless of the fitness of others. Chalobah looks increasingly assured with each passing game, aggressive in the tackle, unafraid of breaking opposition lines and a growing aerial threat too. If Chalobah continues to develop at this rate, Fofana and others may find themselves on the sidelines for a little while longer.
5) Looking ahead to the knockouts
After a poor start to Group E, Chelsea have turned it around to win their group. This means we can now look ahead to who the Blues may draw in the last 16 of this season's Champions League. Being group winners means Chelsea can only draw non-English second placed sides, which should afford a more positive draw in theory, yet there is rarely such a thing in this competition. Chelsea can draw one of Club Brugge, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Frankfurt, RB Leipzig or PSG, as they are unable to face Liverpool.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Champions League, Football
