Ukraine’s most successful club proved tame opposition for a relatively experienced Chelsea lineup as David Luiz captained the side to a comfortable 3-0 first-leg victory over Dynamo Kyiv at Stamford Bridge.
There was no argument as to who held the upper hand come kick-off with Chelsea knocking the ball around patiently, probing for openings in the Kyiv defence.
Pedro, a surprise starter ahead of the hotly tipped Callum Hudson-Odoi, was at the centre of everything going forward and it would be the Spaniard who opened the scoring on 17 minutes, collecting Olivier Giroud’s flick and firing through the body of Kyiv goalkeeper Boyko.
Memories of a bitterly cold November evening in 2015 were reignited just past the hour mark when Kyiv’s chief tormentor Willian curled in a stupendous 25-yard free-kick, reminiscent in almost every way to the goal that clinched victory for Jose Mourinho’s flailing title winners in the Champions League group stages more than three years ago.
On the urge of the fans more than anything else Hudson-Odoi was introduced to the fray, and despite limited minutes he made yet another lasting impact on the European stage, latching onto Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s lay off and seemingly firing Chelsea into the next round of the Europa League.
