Chelsea were held to a draw in the Europa League as they drew 2-2 against Vidi in Hungary on Thursday night.
The Blues took the lead on the half hour mark, as Willian scored with a wonderful free kick. The Brazilian won the foul and duly converted to give them the lead.
However, Vidi stunned Chelsea just two minutes later, as a corner was unfortunately headed into his own goal by Ethan Ampadu. Chelsea were ahead for just 109 seconds as the Hungarians earned an unlikely lifeline back into the game.
Vidi then turned it around in the 56th minute, through Loic Nego’s fantastic first time volley. However, Chelsea responded fantastically as ?Olivier Giroud scored a beautiful free kick to draw level on 75 minutes.
Here’s 90min’s review of Thursday’s Europa League clash.
Vidi
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Key Talking Point
Vidi were solid in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge and repeated their perf?ormance on Thursday night. They played very well throughout, showing quality when going forward and defending.
In the end their two goals against Chelsea were deserved as the Hungarians put in a valiant display. Although BATE Borisov’s 3-1 win over PAOK knocked Vidi out, they proved themselves on the big stage and earned the plaudits in an impressive Europa League run.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Kovacsik (6); Stopira (6), Vinicius (7), Juhasz (5), Fiola (6); Nikolov (6), Hadzic (6), Nego (7); Huszti (6), Milanov (6); Scepovic (7).
Substitutes: Kovacs (N/A), Hodzic (N/A).
STAR MAN – After a relatively quiet first half, Loic Nego scored a stunning volley to give Vidi the lead. The French defender struck the ball perfectly, adding to his decent performance throughout the game.
WORST PLAYER – Although generally composed in defence, Roland Juhasz was poor at times and switched off at vital moments. He also picked up a booking and was aggressive in some off the ball spats, which took some of the shine off Vidi’s result.
CHELSEA
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Key Talking Point
?Chelsea were sloppy at times, with a string of poor misplaced passes ruining built up momentum. However, overall a heavily changed side played well, with invaluable European experience given to players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu.?
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Caballero (6); Emerson (6), Christensen (6), Ampadu (7), Zappacosta (6); Barkley (6), Fabregas (6), Loftus-Cheek (6); Hudson-Odoi (7*), Morata (5), Willian (7).
Substitutes: Giroud (7), Pedro (6).
STAR MAN – It was Callum Hudson-Odoi who stood out for Chelsea, as he made his fourth Europa League appearance. The young winger was bright and energetic throughout the game, and created chance after chance for the Blues.
Having already qualified as group winners, it was a great opportunity for Hudson-Odoi to get some minutes and he definitely took advantage of that in a strong performance.
WORST PLAYER – In a 45-minute cameo, ?Alvaro Morata was frustratingly poor. The Spaniard looked lazy, lethargic and lacklustre and his substitution for a knock he picked up seemed the best option for the game as well as his fitness.
Morata didn’t look like he wanted to be playing. He showed little effort and desire, and another mediocre performance will surely be a bitter sight for Chelsea fans.
Looking Ahead
Chelsea return to ?Premier League action on Sunday, when they travel to the Amex Stadium to face ?Brighton?. They then play in the Carabao Cup quarter final, welcoming ?Bournemouth to Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
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