Moises Caicedo’s late header gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Paphos in a hard-fought match, boosting their hopes of automatically qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League.
An away defeat to Atalanta in Enzo Maresca’s last Champions League game in December forced Chelsea to do more to avoid a two-leg play-off, but a narrow win, Liam Rosenior’s first experience in the competition, lifted them to eighth place on goal difference.
There remains huge pressure to win next Wednesday when they travel to Antonio Conte’s Napoli, with eight teams tied on 13 points and a further five within three points of the Blues, but automatic progress and avoiding a duplicate fixture in February is in Chelsea’s hands.
Rosenior’s first Champions League game was a frustrating 78 minutes. Enzo Fernandes had his first-half header written off as a push and Paphos goalkeeper Jay Goater made a string of saves against the tenacious visitors, including three.
The Cyprus champion, currently 30th in the standings, even hit the woodwork at the other end, with Jadja’s shot deflected off the arm of Reece James and hit the post. A penalty appeal from the visiting team was understandably dismissed, given that the Blues captain’s arm was forced into his chest, but this was a warning for Chelsea.
Estevao was brought on at half-time to give Chelsea a boost without the rested Cole Palmer, but the Brazilian’s fierce volley was saved by Gothel and then by Bruno. Defender Derrick Lucassen then dove to prevent Alejandro Garnacho from scoring.
But just as Chelsea’s nerves began to fray and fears of missing out on a top-eight finish grew, Caicedo converted an unintentional corner from Paphos’ Nanny Dimata to score the winning goal, giving Rosenior the perfect start to the competition. Former Blues manager Conte is now standing in his way.
Rosenior praises Chelsea’s body language
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior told TNT Sports:
“We knew that Paphos were very well organized. There were a lot of good things, but only the last part. We had possession, control and the goalkeeper made some good saves, but what I really liked about the team today was the body language.
“That never changed. The energy, the counter-press was really good. We would like to score more goals, but we are in a position to be in the top eight if we win the next game.
“The standards here are really high. The fans come to see the shots and the goals. It’s my job to improve that. For me, it’s balanced at the moment. For me, it’s been a long time since I’ve had two clean sheets in a row, but that’s a positive thing. It’s just a matter of going out and winning games.”
Caicedo once again demonstrates all-round excellence
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Steve Sidwell believes Chelsea players are backing the signing of Liam Rosenior after their “fantastic” performance in the Champions League win over Paphos.
Moises Caicedo’s quality and wide range of skills are well known, but his performance in Chelsea’s narrow but important win against stubborn Paphos epitomized many of his attributes.
He ultimately sealed the match with a header from a flicked corner kick with 12 minutes remaining. This was the fourth shot on target of the match, and the visiting goalkeeper twice struck sharply before the break to stop Caicedo’s shot. This is the most shots on target he has had in a game for Chelsea.
He was joint-top with Enzo Fernandes in terms of chances created, but only centre-backs Benoît Badiashile and Wesley Fofana had more touches. Only Fofana received more minutes. Caicedo is a player who can do it all.
The midfielder has so far played all available minutes under Rosenior. He missed Arsenal’s draw due to suspension, but that was the only game the new head coach did not win.
While the defense has been readjusted and the attackers rotated, Caicedo has been a constant and essential part of this Chelsea team.
