A rampant second-half performance from Chelsea saw the Blues coast through to the next round of the Europa League.
Maurizio Sarri came into the game under a mountain of pressure and needed a strong showing from a rotated side to ease the groans of discontent ahead of their highly anticipated showdown with Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
The intensity and passion the Italian wanted, however, was severely lacking in the first half as Malmo bossed large portions of the game and created the better of the chances.
Despite, apparently, being unable to motivate his team over recent weeks, Sarri must’ve instilled a new found belief in his players as the tempo quickened, and movement off the ball became more frequent.
rench midfielder N’Golo Kante epitomised the side’s change in desire, and his rampaging break from deep laid the ball into the path of Willian, who squared for Olivier Giroud to tap home and give Chelsea the lead.
This lead was doubled with 15 minutes to play when Ross Barkley curled in a sumptuous 20-yard free-kick moments after Rasmus Bengtsson had been sent off for a lunging tackle.
The man that many had come to see play, Callum Hudson-Odoi, lit up Stamford Bridge with a low driven shot to cap off an impressive individual display.
The result will ease pressure on Sarri, but his long-term future will more likely be dependant on the outcome of games against City and Tottenham.
Here’s how we rated the Blues in the game:
