Dewsbury-Hallgoal secures Chelsea's place in last eight of Conference League

The Chelsea line-up suggested Maresca had one eye on the trip to the Emirates Stadium with head coach making six changes to the side that edged past Leicester last weekend.

Thu, 13 Mar, 2025 - 22:10

Ian Winrow

Europa Conference League Round of 16: Chelsea 1 (Dewsbury-Hall 55') Copenhagen 0 (Agg 3-1)

KIERNAN Dewsbury-Hall’s second half goal ensured Chelsea will head into their meeting with Arsenal on Sunday having secured their place in the last eight of the Conference League and remain on course for silverware.

After the negative reaction of some fans to Sunday’s narrow win against Leicester - a reaction that prompted a frustrated response from head coach Enzo Maresca - progress was the least that was expected. As it was, it took half-time changes to inject life into a flat display before the Blues went on to see out the tie in relative comfort.

The Chelsea line-up suggested Maresca had one eye on the trip to the Emirates Stadium with head coach making six changes to the side that edged past Leicester last weekend. Cole Palmer, Reece James and Marc Cucurella were among those left on the bench but an underwhelming start suggested the rested senior players might not get the evening off they hoped.

Maresca’s side had appeared fully in control of the tie when they led by two goals heading into the final ten minutes of the first leg but a late reply gave Copenhagen hope that carried over into the opening stages of the return.

While the home side dominated possession for long periods, they posed little threat and it came as no surprise when Palmer and Cucurella were introduced at the break. The change was instant with Chelsea playing with more confidence before Dewsbury-Hall struck ten minutes into the second period, capping a strong run with an assured finish.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen 6; Chalobah 7, Adarabioyo 6, Badiashile 6, Acheampong 5 (Cucurella 46, 7); Fernandez 6 (Palmer 46, 7), Caicedo 6 (James 78,6); George 6, Dewsbury-Hall 8, Sancho 6 (Nkunku 65, 6); Neto 6 (Antwi 88).

Subs not used: Sanchez, Bergstrom, Colwill, Murray-Campbell, Cucurella, James, Amougou, Walsh, Palmer, Mheuka,.

FC Copenhagen (5-4-1): Ramaj 6; Huecas 6, Pereira 6, Diks 7, Hatzidiakos 6, Meling 6; Elyounoussi 6 (Larsson 59, 6), Clem 6 (Falk 77, 6), Froholdt 7, Achouri 7 (Robert 77,6); Claesson 6 (Chiakha 59, 6).

Subs not used: Trott, Garananga, Mattsson, Lerager, Gocholeishvili, Delaney, Runarsson.

Referee: Radu Petrescu (Romania) 6