Chelsea leave it late against MSK Zilina
Chelsea collected a fifth consecutive win in the Champions League on Tuesday 23 November, overcoming Slovak champions MSK Zilina 2–1 at Stamford Bridge.
The home team left their victory late, with Florent Malouda netting the winner four minutes from time after Daniel Sturridge's strike cancelled out Babatounde Bello's first-half goal.
Having secured qualification into the knock-out stages against Spartak Moskva in the last round of the competition, manager Carlo Ancelotti fielded a young starting team that included
prospects Sturridge, Gael Kakuta, Patrick van Aanholt, Ross Turnbull and Joshua McEachran.
Zilina shook the home side in the 19th minute when a fluid move from midfield saw Robert Jez return the ball to Bello on the edge of the box, the Nigerian taking only one touch to punt
the ball into the right corner of the net.
On the half-hour mark, Zilina striker Tomas Majtan had no trouble skipping past Malouda and van Aanholt to hit the right post with a drive from inside the area as the inexperience of the
Chelsea side began to show.
Sturridge shines for Chelsea
But Sturridge ensured Chelsea got forward again, cutting in from the right flank and hitting a curling left-footner with his left that Martin Dubravka had to parry at the far post.
And the Englishman continued to impress, collecting Didier Drogba's header in the box and juggling the ball twice before hitting a volley just over the crossbar before the first half drew
to a close with Chelsea trailing.
Five minutes after the interval, it was Sturridge who pulled a goal back for Ancelotti's team after half-time substitute Salomon Kalou cut in from the left and hit a cross that bounced
all the way to the back post, where the 21-year-old was lurking to finish between the legs of Dubravka.
With an hour gone, Drogba hit a swerving free kick that beat the wall but not Dubravka, whose acrobatic one-hand block directed the ball onto the post.
Chelsea tested the sturdiness of Zilina's woodwork again when Malouda's clever back heel allowed van Aanholt an opportunity to shoot. The left-back let fly and the ball thumped against
the right-hand post of the goal with Dubravka beaten.
Malouda then could have made more of the space Drogba's first-time flick afforded him in the box, but the Frenchman found himself crowded out by the Zilina defence and hit his shot wide.
Anelka behind the winning goal
With Nicolas Anelka on the pitch, Chelsea's dominant second-half performance was rewarded.
The striker drifted towards the edge of the box and chipped towards Drogba at the penalty spot, whose cushioned header landed perfectly for Malouda, the winger having only to tap in at
the far post to put his team in front.
Chelsea remain top of Group F with full points from their five games, while third-placed Spartak Moskva trail Olympique de Marseille by three points. Zilina have yet to collect any points
in the group.
Tags: