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Chelsea ensured that Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge was a disappointing one, as the Blues narrowly defeated Benfica to earn their first three points of the Champions League campaign on Tuesday night.
Enzo Maresca’s side came into the match off the back of three defeats in four games, including back-to-back losses in the Premier League.
The Italian manager made several changes from Saturday’s loss to Brighton in hopes of improving his team’s performance, with Alejandro Garnacho joining the lineup along with four others.
Chelsea struggled to create many opportunities following the opener, but they managed to hold out for a crucial victory.
Daily Mail Sport’s KIERAN GILL was at Stamford Bridge and he has picked out some key talking points from the clash.
Chelsea scraped past Benfica on Thursday night to record their first points of the Champions League group phase
Richard Rios netted a first half own goal in what was an uneventful game at Stamford Bridge
Cole Palmer watches on from up high
While Chelsea’s injured players were typically seated at the back of the substitutes’ bench, including Liam Delap, Wesley Fofana and Andrey Santos, Cole Palmer received VIP treatment.
He was seated prominently next to the club’s co-owner Behdad Eghabli, clad in what could only be described as a sleeping-bag tracksuit. Palmer, that is. Not Eghbali, who was dressed formally for this Champions League fixture at Stamford Bridge.
Injured Cole Palmer watched on from the stands in a coat that looked like a sleeping bag
Blues turn a weakness into a strength
Chelsea are unaccustomed to benefiting from an unmarked attacker at the back of the box. Typically, they are the ones lamenting their own defensive lapses, having allowed goals in such a manner at Brentford and Manchester United.
But here, it was Benfica who naively ignored the warnings given by Chelsea. Alejandro Garnacho consistently found himself in that open space and was in position again when Pedro Neto delivered a deep cross in the 18th minute. Garnacho stretched to redirect it back into the box, resulting in an own goal by Richard Rios.
Rios had been man-marking Enzo Fernandez and it was his tracking of the Chelsea midfielder, formerly of Benfica, which helped make sure he was perfectly placed to bundle it in on the Blues’ behalf.
Given Enzo Maresca has been criticised for not noticing back-of-the-box threats during matches previously, it is only fair to praise him for working it to his advantage this time.
Alejandro Garnacho ghosted in at the back post to set up the only goal of the game
Fernandez leads from the front
Chelsea’s starting line-up carried an average age of exactly 24 years old – their youngest ever for a Champions League match – and they needed leaders within this team. Fernandez brought that and then some.
The Blues have resembled the walking wounded this season, and the Argentinian warmed up with bandaging around his right knee, but he is a battler.
He was evidently pumped to try to stick it to his former fans who were whistling him here as well as throwing missiles at him when he tried to take a corner in the first half. Benfica are bound to hear from UEFA on that one with a fine likely.
Enzo Fernandez has the captains armband on and led the young Chelsea team from the front
Chelsea fans love in for Mourinho
Chelsea’s supporters chose random moments throughout this match to sing Jose Mourinho’s name, starting after a single minute with the Benfica boss responding by blowing them a kiss.
If ever an opposition manager has earned that mid-match treatment, it is Mourinho, whose side never made the most of their opportunities when Chelsea’s passing from the back was slack.
Chelsea fans sung Jose Mourinho’s name after just one minute which their former boss appreciated
George looks lost up top
Considering the criticism of Enzo Maresca’s tactical calls of late, Chelsea’s head coach was brave here in his curious choice of attack. That included starting Tyrique George, the 19-year-old academy graduate who is actually a winger by trade, as his striker.
Chelsea tried to sell George in the summer and would have succeeded on deadline day, were it not for his £22million move to Fulham collapsing because it was contingent on Harry Wilson leaving for Leeds.
It would be too harsh to say George looked like a kid who had won a raffle to represent Chelsea up top in their first Champions League clash at home since 2022. He tried his hardest as a teenager playing out of position. But George looked lost overall, at a time when Maresca has another Cobham youngster doing all he can to grab his manager’s attention.
That is Shim Mheuka, the 17-year-old striker who has scored 15 goals in 11 games for club and country this season. That included a hat-trick – plus an assist – for Chelsea’s Under 19s in their UEFA Youth League victory over Benfica yesterday.
Behind George was Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Buonanotte, who was not even originally registered with UEFA until Dario Essugo’s injury opened up a space for him. Chelsea invited pressure on themselves late on, but this time, they got away with trying to hold on to their lead.
Tyrique George had just one shot and completed zero dribbles against Benfica
George lined up top in what was Chelsea’s youngest ever starting XI in the Champions League
Should Chelsea have recalled Marc Guiu?
Speaking of strikers, Marc Guiu’s situation is growing stranger with each passing week. The 19-year-old was brought back after only 26 days on loan at Sunderland following Liam Delap’s injury but since then, he has not appeared for a single minute in any match. Yet again, he was left to warm the bench here.
