Joao Felix a cut above the rest as Chelsea's second-string send Conference League statement

Another Thursday nighttime successful the Conference League and different flexing of musculus from the continent’s astir glittering second-string side.

An wholly changed Chelsea XI made it 2 wins from 2 astatine the commencement of the radical stage, thrashing Greek broadside Panathanikos 4-1 successful Athens.

The 4 players to question who had started the 2-1 decision astatine Liverpool connected Sunday were each unused connected the bench, leaving the harvest who already this word person emerged arsenic cupful regulars with different accidental to impress.

Of those, Joao Felix and the much-maligned Mykhailo Mudryk grabbed it best, scoring the archetypal 3 goals betwixt them and, successful Felix’s case, winning the punishment from which Christopher Nkunku added the fourth.

The Portuguese again looked a chopped supra astatine this level, his intelligent flick the cardinal successful a determination helium past finished to unfastened the scoring earlier half-time. His 2nd was fortuitous, deflecting past a wrong-footed ’keeper, but helium was selfless successful not demanding a hat-trick accidental from the spot soon after, alternatively allowing Nkunku to agelong his cleanable grounds successful Europe this play to 4 goals successful four.

For Mudryk, meanwhile, a determined header from Pedro Neto’s transverse brought a archetypal extremity successful immoderate contention this season. Coupled with assists for some Felix strikes, this was among the Ukrainian’s astir affirmative nights successful a Chelsea garment and timely astatine that, aft helium had failed adjacent to marque the seat astatine Anfield connected Sunday. A wide grin and celebratory hug with Maresca aft his extremity had efficaciously settled the contention suggested determination are nary hard feelings implicit that call.

It was a much controlled, composed showing than the 4-2 triumph implicit Gent with which Chelsea began their run earlier the planetary break, executed successful what Maresca conceded was a “complicated” ambiance arsenic the hosts paid tribute to George Baldock.

This was Panathanikos’s archetypal location crippled since the 31-year-old was recovered dormant successful his swimming pool hardly a fortnight ago. Before kick-off, the assemblage astatine Athens’s Olympic Stadium held placards bearing his garment number, 32, arsenic David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ played, the tune adopted for the defender’s chant during his agelong spell astatine Sheffield United.

For Maresca personally, too, this juncture came with a sombre tint. The Blues brag spoke connected Wednesday of however trips to Athens evoke mixed memories: helium spent a mostly blessed play with Panathanikos’s cross-city rivals Olympiacos arsenic a player, but besides turned retired against them for Sevilla successful an affectional archetypal crippled aft person and teammate Antonio Puerta had passed distant successful 2007.

The Greeks channeled the emotion champion from kick-off and went adjacent aboriginal on, Filip Jorgensen producing a good prevention to support retired Tin Jedvaj’s header aft Chelsea’s precocious antiaircraft enactment had again been exposed, this clip from a set-piece.

This was a bully nighttime for Jorgensen, who came done concussion protocols to play and enactment unit connected Robert Sanchez, whose iffy league signifier has brought caller uncertainty implicit his spot arsenic No1.

A archetypal cleanable expanse successful a month, since the 5-0 thrashing of League One broadside Barrow, would person been of large restitution to Maresca, who has prickled erstwhile quizzed astir his side’s antiaircraft frailties successful caller weeks.

Instead, erstwhile Manchester United winger Facundo Pellestri grabbed a consolation astatine the extremity of a good determination to marque it 5 games successful a enactment successful which the Blues’s backline has been breached.

That volition proceed to nag astatine the manager, with games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Arsenal to travel crossed the adjacent 3 weekends successful the Premier League. In Europe, though, Chelsea are cruising, a tally heavy into the knockout stages of this contention already feeling an inevitability.