Monday 22 October
Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori will be allowed to play for Derby against their home club at Stamford Bridge on all hallows’ eve. Unlike the Premier League, the league cup rules allow loan players to face their own sides and Chelsea thinks it will help their development. The pair played when Derby knocked out Manchester United in the last round.
Wednesday 24 October
Molde U19 0:4 Chelsea U19
All talk of keeping it tight at the back for the away leg was blown apart by the 10-1 scoreline in the previous match. There will have been some frustration that we were not more clinical but a Tino Anjorin goal was enough to give us the edge until the last ten minutes when a Charlie Brown hat-trick made the score look respectable. Well, as respectable as a 14-1 aggregate win can ever be.
We will play IF Elfsborg in the next round as they beat Reykjavik 3-1 on aggregate.
Marcos Alonso has extended his contract and will now be a blue until 2023. Marcos has become a Spain regular while with us. He joined back in 2016 and made the left wing-back role in Conte’s 3-4-3 his own.
Thursday 25 October
Chelsea 3:1 BATE Borisov
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was always going to be a big name it was a matter of when not if and whether Chelsea could find room for him or if he’d have to leave.
Thankfully, it seems, he has fought hard enough to get into a starting berth for the Uefa cup and made hay while the floodlight shone. His first goal was a neat finish from an unmarked position near the penalty spot as Zappacosta crossed. His second took the ball off Olivier Giroud’s instep to fire home and he side-footed his hat-trick goal from outside the box.
The rest of the night could have yielded another half dozen goals but, once again this season, sloppy finishing, and perhaps a desire not to steal Ruben’s limelight, meant we had to settle for three. Sarri’s face when they netted a late consolation showed a little of the character of the man. He is a fighter.
Callum Hudson-Odoi got a good run in the second-half, coming close when he rolled the ball under his studs to make space for the shot but hit over the bar.
Serene progress in the group stage looks assured as all three of our competitors have only three points each and we sit top with nine.
Saturday 27 October
Glenn Hoddle has had a heart-attack in the BT Sport studio covering the afternoon games. A sound engineer apparently stepped in to keep Glenn stable until the Ambulance crew arrived. A later statement said that the former Chelsea boss was in a serious condition but responding well to treatment. We wish him and his family all the best.
Up at Leicester and the owner’s helicopter crashed into the car park. The police and club are remaining very tight-lipped but it looks like nobody could have survived.
Chelsea U23 2:3 Brighton & Hove Albion U23
This was another frustrating home defeat for the development squad. Goals from Billy Gilmour and Tino Anjorin hauled us nearly back from 0-3 down but, ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
Sunday 28 October
Burnley 0:4 Chelsea
Ruben did it again but then so did everyone else as we strolled to victory at Turf Moor. Alvaro Morata could have had a first-half hat-trick but had to settle for just the one as Ross Barkley played a sublime pass over the Burnley defence for the Spaniard to finish. Ross grabbed the game by the short and scruffies in the second period, rifling one in himself and generally bossing the match. Willian made room for himself to curly one into the top corner from distance and young Loftus-Cheek made it a perfect week by adding a late strike to his midweek haul.
Ruben came on for Pedro on half an hour and looked the part throughout.
Eden Hazard missed the game with a back injury. The suspicion is that he was rested for the midweek fixture and today to give him a bit of a break.
Chelsea 1:0 Liverpool
The misfiring women misfired again all afternoon and needed a defender, in the shape of Magda Eriksson, to perform the spectacular overhead volley that broke their barren scoring run. That we dominated the match and should have had another half dozen will be overlooked this time.
Leicester confirmed that their owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and four others died when their helicopter spiralled out of the air and into the car park after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham. We all know what they are going through and our sympathies are with Leicester City and the families concerned.
