Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv Live Commentary & Result, 7/3/19, UEFA Europa League

And that wraps up our coverage. We hope you enjoyed our commentary, and until next time, goodbye!

Both sides lock horns again next Thursday as Khatskevich’s Kiev face an uphill battle to overturn their 3-0 first-leg deficit, but Chelsea first return to domestic action on Sunday as they resume hosting duties against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves beforehand.

With three wins in a row in all competitions since that EFL Cup final defeat, the pressure will certainly ease on Sarri following a strong showing at Stamford Bridge against opponents who grew into the action as the match wore on. Pedro and Willian were instrumental in the Blues’ attacking play, and Hudson-Odoi & Loftus-Cheek impressed heavily during their 30-minute cameos. Kiev didn’t lie down in defeat though as they remained effervescent after the half-time break despite conceding two more goals, but they will have a mountain to climb in the second leg.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 3-0 DYNAMO KIEV

90' + 1' Hudson-Odoi has now been directly involved in seven goals in his last seven games in all competitions for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (four goals and three assists).

R. Loftus-Cheek

Assist

90' Loftus-Cheek does brilliantly to bring down Pedro's cross-field pass and play in the onrushing Hudson-Odoi all with one touch, as two Blues substitutes combine to add more gloss to the proceedings!

C. Hudson-Odoi

Goal

90' GOOOAAALLLL!!! HUDSON-ODOI MAKES IT 3-0!! Not long after more Kiev pressure, Chelsea hit a fast break as Pedro switches play out to Loftus-Cheek, and the midfielder takes a deft touch to bring the ball down and play his fellow substitute in, who finishes his chance past Boyko with aplomb!

88' Kovacic gets caught in possession and Shepelev tries to play Shaparenko in the box, only for the Kiev playmaker to slip on the turf at the vital moment!

85' SIDCLEI NEARLY SNATCHES A SHOCK GOAL! Shepelev runs down the wing and fizzes a cross towards the Blues’ penalty area which Sidclei meets with his head at the near post only for his chance to go across the Chelsea goal with Arrizabalaga in no man’s land and no teammate in sight to latch on to the loose ball! Nervy final moments for Sarri’s lot as Kiev try to bring a consolation back to Ukraine with them!

82' Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek combine brilliantly to play in Pedro, and the winger returns the favour to the onrushing Loftus-Cheek only for the Chelsea midfielder’s chance to go well over the bar from six or so yards!

81' Kiev are on course to continue their run of never having won a European match on English soil, with the Ukrainians drawing three and losing 11 of their 14 previous visits prior to this match – most recently a 0-0 draw at the Etihad against Manchester City in the Champions League round-of-16 stage back in March 2016.

C. Hudson-Odoi

Willian

78' Willian earns a standing ovation from the Stamford Bridge faithful as he comes off for Hudson-Odoi in Sarri's last substitution of the match.

77' Alonso tries a pot-shot from the edge of the box after trapping David Luiz’s long ball, but the chance fizzes wide of Boyko’s goal.

76' Since his Chelsea debut in September 2013, Willian has scored 11 direct free-kick goals in all competitions, more than any other Premier League player.

74' Shaparenko sprays the ball out wide to Kedziora, and the Kiev right-back floats in a deep cross from the wing only for Christensen to head it away with authority. Kiev regain possession and it eventually gets to Sydorchuk, who attempts a fierce drive only for the chance to go well wide of Arrizabalaga’s goal.

Sidcley

V. Buyalskyi

71' Sidcley makes his first appearance for Kiev in 2019, replacing Buyalskiy who will be suspended for the second leg next week.

70' Willian has now had a direct hand in eight Europa League goals this season (three goals, five assists). No Chelsea player has had more goal involvements in a single European campaign since both Juan Mata (12) and Fernando Torres (nine) did so during their 2012-13 Europa League winning season.

D. Garmash

N. Rusyn

66' Khatskevich immediately reacts to Willian's goal by making his first change of the match as takes off Rusyn and brings on Harmash in the youngster's place.

Willian

Goal

65' GOOOOOAAALLLL!!! WILLIAN DOUBLES CHELSEA’S LEAD!! The ex-Shakhtar Donetsk winger and former Footballer of the Year in Ukraine continues to haunt the visitors with a brilliant free-kick that leaves Boyko rooted to his spot! What a way to celebrate 100 appearances in European competition, and Chelsea now have a firm grip on the tie as they lead 2-0 at the Bridge!

64' Loftus-Cheek’s first contribution after coming on is to win a free-kick in dangerous territory after getting tripped by Sydorchuk.

N. Kanté

Jorginho

62' Sarri continues with the substitutions, also hooking Jorginho off to be replaced by Kante.

R. Loftus-Cheek

R. Barkley

62' Loftus-Cheek is brought on for the industrious Barkley in Sarri's first change of the match.

61' Buyalskiy releases the ball down the channels for Rusyn to chase, but the hard-working youngster is quickly shadowed by Christensen and Chelsea clear any lingering danger away.

60' Referee Vincic awards Kiev a free-kick from around 30 yards out despite Rusyn going down a little too easily following Christensen’s challenge. Shaparenko floats it in the box only for Mykolenko to be flagged for offside.

58' Waves of uneasiness from the Chelsea faithful as Kiev almost break through the Blues’ defensive wall, but Kedziora’s cross is headed away before more danger can be dealt by the visitors!

56' Burda makes an excellent sliding challenge to deny Barkley in the box, forcing another Chelsea corner in the process. Willian’s set-piece is flicked on towards David Luiz only for Shaparenko to snatch the ball away from the centre-back!

55' Shaparenko cheaply gives the ball away to Jorginho, who releases Willian and the winger continues his run at goal only for his attempt to play a one-two with Pedro to end tamely. However, Chelsea regain possession and are now camped in the Kiev half.

54' Willian gets on the end of a stray Kiev pass and quickly switches play across to the other wing towards the onrushing Pedro, who lets fly with a low drive that Boyko easily scoops up.

51' Kiev have started this half with a lot more vigour than their hosts, and are enjoying more spells of possession than they did before the break.

48' Giroud wryly smiles at getting caught offside after getting on the end of another Jorginho throughball from deep.

47' Giroud has been directly involved in seven goals in his last six Europa League games for Chelsea, scoring six and assisting one.

46' Kiev get play restarted as the second half gets underway!

The Blues will undoubtedly prefer to finish this tie at home, so expect the hosts to emerge from the break with zest and vigour in their quest to grab another goal or two. As for Khatskevich’s Kiev, defensive solidity will be the main priority and they will do very well to return back to Ukraine having conceded only once at the Bridge.

Sarri will be content to bear witness to another dominant Chelsea display on home soil, as they have swarmed all over their visitors from kick-off. However, they would have been heading into the changing rooms with more than a one-goal lead if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Kiev stopper Boyko, who has had an excellent game between the away sticks and is enjoying a personal battle with the profligate Pedro which could be a cause of concern for the Chelsea gaffer.

45' + 1' HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 1-0 DYNAMO KIEV

44' PEDRO SHOULD’VE SCORED AGAIN! More incisive play by the Blues as Barkley, who has been an influential attacking outlet so far, finds Pedro in the box and the winger cuts in before unleashing a curler that Boyko is equal to once more! A personal battle between Pedro and Boyko looks to be the case so far, as despite the former’s goal, the latter has upped his game since then.

43' Kovacic and Christensen suffer a nasty clash of heads, leaving the former down on the pitch. He is being looked at by club medics while Christensen tries to walk it off, clutching his forehead as he does so.

V. Buyalskyi

Yellow Card

41' Kovacic is tripped by Buyalskiy after an exquisite dragback, leaving the Kiev winger flummoxed and unable to do anything except foul the Croatia playmaker. That booking means that he will miss the second leg of this tie.

39' The visitors have not won any of their last nine first leg knockout matches in the Europa League (drawn six, lost three). However, their last such victory did come against English opposition - beating Manchester City at home during a round-of-16 encounter back in March 2011.

36' ALONSO MISSES ANOTHER CHELSEA CHANCE! The left-back’s shot from just outside the area is blocked by Mykolenko following some good wing-play by Willian, who manages to get a deflected cut-back in despite being surrounded by a sea of white shirts!

34' BOYKO PULLS OFF A BRILLIANT SAVE! Pedro misses another gilt-edged chance to double Chelsea’s lead, as the winger latches onto another David Luiz long ball and finds himself one-on-one with the Kiev goalkeeper once more only for his volley to be met by a diving Boyko!

32' Shaparenko jinks past the Chelsea midfield and embarks on a good solo run before playing a pass towards Kedziora, who bursts down the wing and whips in a cross which gets deflected for a corner. The set-piece is played short, but Tsygankov’s wild shot is blocked and cleared away.

30' Referee Vencic incurs the wrath of the Blues faithful by denying the hosts a penalty after Pedro gets felled in the box by Kedziora following more good movement from the winger and another deft one-two with Giroud! Unlike the Champions League, this competition doesn’t have VAR so play must go on, and replays do suggest that awarding the spot-kick would've been harsh on Kiev.

28' This fixture makes it the third time both sides have faced each other, with the Blues winning one and drawing one of the two previous meetings during the group stages of the 2015-16 Champions League.

25' BARKLEY ALMOST MAKES IT TWO! Kovacic threads in a brilliant pass from just outside the box towards the path of the onrushing Barkley, who evades a Kiev defender before shooting straight at Boyko's legs! Another opportunity wasted for the hosts who will look to put this tie beyond doubt before heading to Ukraine for the second leg!

22' Kiev are enjoying their longest spell of possession, finding their rhythm in this match and threatening on a couple of occasions.

20' PEDRO SHOULD’VE SCORED THERE!! The winger should have bagged himself a brace after getting on the end of a loose ball following a deflected Barkley cut-back, but Boyko miraculously saves the chance from about three yards! A huge let-off for the Ukrainian side!

O. Giroud

Assist

17' Giroud continues his excellent run of form in this competition by managing to end a cute one-two by backheeling his pass between his marker’s legs, leaving Pedro with the goal at his mercy.

Pedro

Goal

17' GOOOOAAAALLLL!!! CHELSEA BREAK THE DEADLOCK!! Excellent team goal from the Blues as Barkley does well to find Pedro on the wing, and the winger continues his run towards goal before playing a slick one-two with Giroud and slotting the ball past Boyko to cap off a brilliant move! 1-0 to the Blues, and it’s no less than they’ve deserved after dominating this match from the get-go!

14' Willian’s corner doesn’t even go past 12 yards and Kiev clear again, but Chelsea regain possession out on the centre circle.

13' The youngster Rusyn outpaces Alonso, forcing the left-back to foul him out on the wing. Tsygankov’s free-kick causes some awkwardness in the Blues’ penalty area, but the hosts eventually clear the danger away.

11' The Stamford Bridge faithful erupt with applause at Barkley’s audacious bit of skill, taking the ball past Kedizora with one touch before turning away and forcing a corner off the Kiev right-back.

V. Shepelev

Yellow Card

9' Zappacosta, who’s had an eventful opening 10 minutes, is scythed down by Shepelev who earns himself the game’s first booking. Willian’s free-kick is poor though, and Kiev head the ball away.

8' Kiev escape there! Boyko’s goal kick goes only as far out as Pedro, who was just as surprised to receive the ball as everyone else was! Luckily for the visitors, they immediately regain their lines and clear the danger.

8' David Luiz finds Zappacosta with a peach of a Hollywood ball, but the full-back runs out of ideas after some good defending by Mykolenko and the Blues find themselves winning a throw-in instead of creating another opportunity.

5' David Luiz launches another long ball into the Kiev box towards the towering Giroud, but the forward fouls Burda instead and the visitors gain a free-kick.

3' Kovacic manages to burst through the Kiev midfield and has Giroud and Zappacosta ahead of him, but the latter is caught offside after the Croatia midfielder decides to play in the full-back.

2' Zappacosta, who makes his first start in two months, forces Sydorchuk to concede the first corner of the match. The set-piece is played short, but Barkley is unable to get a good hit on the ball and Kiev clear.

1' Both sides are decked out in their usual colours, with the hosts sporting all-blue while the visitors are wearing all-white.

1' Referee Slavko Vincic blows his whistle, and Chelsea get us underway at the Bridge!

The players are out and kick-off is drawing near.

Chelsea’s only previous appearance at this stage of the Europa League was back in 2012-13, beating Romanian side FCSB over two legs – the season the Blues went on to lift the trophy under manager Rafa Benitez.

In contrast, Khatskevich makes just the one change from the team that won 2-1 at Desna in the league on Saturday, replacing their injured new signing Fran Sol with Rusyn as the lone furrow up front. Having picked up a yellow card in their last Europa League match, Benjamin Verdic is suspended for this first-leg fixture.

Sarri rolls the dice and makes six changes from the side that won 2-1 at Fulham on Sunday, including reinstating David Luiz to the heart of defence in place of Rudiger. Zappacosta and Alonso also come in for Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson in the full-back positions, while Kante, Higuain and Hazard are benched in favour of Kovacic, Giroud and Pedro.

SUBSTITUTES: Georgi Bushchan, Heorhii Tsitaishvili, Tamas Kadar, Yevhen Smyrnyi, Denys Harmash, Sidcley, Oleksandr Andrievsky.

DYNAMO KIEV (4-2-3-1): Denys Boyko, Tomasz Kedziora, Mykyta Burda, Artem Shabanov, Vitaliy Mykolenko; Serhiy Sydorchuk (c), Volodymyr Shepelev; Viktor Tsygankov, Mykola Shaparenko, Vitaliy Buyalskiy; Nazariy Rusyn.

SUBSTITUTES: Willy Caballero, Eden Hazard, Callum Hudson-Odoi, N'Golo Kante, Gonzalo Higuain, Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

CHELSEA XI (4-3-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Davide Zappacosta, Andreas Christensen, David Luiz (c), Marcos Alonso; Ross Barkley, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic; Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Willian.

And without further ado, let’s take a look at how both sides line up, starting with the hosts.

Dynamo Kiev returned from their domestic winter break to also record two wins on the bounce, which followed their shock elimination of Olympiakos in the previous round of the Europa League. While Alyaksandr Khatskevich’s charges will be the heavy underdogs heading into this match, the Ukrainian side have only lost once in their last ten away matches in the competition.

After securing back-to-back Premier League victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, Chelsea will look to maintain their recovery from losing the EFL Cup final on penalties against Manchester City with further progress in Europe. The under-fire Maurizio Sarri will be aware that a dominant win over their opponents is expected to maintain their status as the bookies’ favourites for the competition.

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this Europa League round-of-16 first-leg clash as Chelsea host Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge!

Chelsea v Dynamo Kyiv Live Commentary, 8/3/19

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