“The last time we played Man Utd”.. “Not even a full squad from Chelsea” – Astana Coach Hails one Chelsea man after 3-1 defeat to Chelsea ‘We learnt some lesson’
Chelsea defeated Astana 3-1 in Almaty on Thursday to make it five wins in five Europa Conference League games.
A drastically altered Chelsea team fought through the bitter cold in Kazakhstan and prevailed to virtually secure a place in the top eight of the league, which would guarantee automatic advancement to the round of 16.
Chelsea leads the competition with 15 points, three points more than Legia Warsaw, the only other team with a perfect record.
The Polish side will seek to draw level with Chelsea when they host Lugano of Switzerland later on Thursday.
The defeat leaves Astana in the final knock-out play-off spot with four points and at risk of elimination.
Chelsea wrapped up the points in the first half through goals from Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga.
Marin Tomasov pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of half-time but Enzo Maresca’s side rarely looked troubled in the second half as they closed out the win.
Guiu gave Chelsea the perfect start by netting a brace inside the opening 20 minutes, bringing his tally in Europe to three goals in five appearances this season.
His first on 14 minutes showcased the ex-Barcelona attacker’s budding talent as he drove past a defender on the right flank before stroking home from an acute angle.
The 18-year-old Spaniard doubled up four minutes later with a striker’s goal as he forced the ball home at the front post following good wing play by Pedro Neto.
Renato Veiga, 21, headed in Chelsea’s third from a corner on 39 minutes.
Croatian veteran Tomasov scored the pick of the goals in the 45th minute as he stood up Renato Veiga in the box before arcing a fine left-footed strike in off the far post.
Meanwhile, Astana coach Grigoriy Babayan gives all credits to Enzo Maresca Chelsea team:
Grigoriy Babayan, Astana coach said:
“I recall that we gave it our all and defeated Manchester United 2-1 the last time we played here. It was a good game for us, but we can’t compare the current Chelsea club to the United group.
“Chelsea are a very strong team and in excellent form at the moment, with their league in full swing.
We were concerned about our physical condition and lack of match sharpness, which was evident in the first half.”
“We learnt a lot from this game as Chelsea didn’t use their full squad and yet we lose to their academy team. Is something we need to work on and learn from our mistakes credits to Enzo Maresca he’s doing a great job for Chelsea”. He said