Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall seals Chelsea’s Conference League progress
By Robert O'Connor, PA
Chelsea limped into the quarter-finals of the Conference League with a dour 1-0 win against Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge to seal their progress 3-1 on aggregate.
Home fans have had their patience tested by recent lifeless performances from their side but even the stifling dullness of the narrow first-leg victory in Denmark was nothing compared with what Enzo Maresca’s side offered in the return match.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s goal shortly after half-time was wildly out of keeping with the quality of the tie, a wonderful, slaloming run through the defence before finishing with aplomb into the corner, but it was paper over the cracks of a listless display.
The head coach can point to four wins in a row in all competitions and a place in the last eight of a European competition, whilst his side are well placed in the league to earn a return to the Champions League next season.
Their performances, however, are showing little sign of improvement.
Before kick-off Maresca had re-emphasised a commitment to possession-based football that favoured structure over style and forced a measured pace, and in the first half his team served more of the same.
Chelsea failed to have a shot on goal inside the opening 45 minutes and rarely got near Copenhagen’s penalty area. After supporters’ frustrations with the unconvincing nature of victory in the first leg and in the league here against Leicester, there was little to stir a feeling that anything had changed.
Josh Acheampong was the outstanding player in blue, the 18-year-old nominally playing at left-back but pushing into midfield with the team in possession and from there driving at Copenhagen’s defence with an enterprise not matched by any of his teammates.
The only other redeeming feature of a lacklustre display was that it took until half-time to rouse the audible displeasure of home fans, who honoured a now customary ritual in jeering their team off at the break.
Maresca sent on Cole Palmer for the second half but it was fellow substitute Marc Cucurella’s endeavour that finally forced Chelsea into gear.
The Spain international clattered into a challenge to win the ball back high up in the Copenhagen half, then came the extraordinary spectacle of Dewsbury-Hall, the nearest thing to invisible in the first half, taking over and teasing his way with balletic poise through four defenders before dispatching low into the corner.
Palmer then drove into space and bent a shot inches wide in search of the goal that would end his long, barren streak – he has not scored since January 14.
Rodrigo Huescas might have enlivened five minutes of stoppage time if he had kept his composure when clean through on Filip Jorgensen’s goal, but instead ballooned it into the Shed End.