Chelsea effectively put their Conference League semi-final tie to bed at the halfway stage as they cruised to a 4-1 win over Djurgarden in Stockholm.
The job felt near enough done by half-time of the first leg, by which point Jadon Sancho had opened the scoring and Noni Madueke then doubled the lead, both benefitting from Enzo Fernandez’s assists.
The introduction of Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah for the second half did little for already slim hopes the hosts had of mounting a comeback, and that particular mountain they had to climb had soon grown in height.
Jackson pounced on some indecision at the back to roll the ball into an empty net, before firing a sensational second into the top corner just five minutes later.
The home fans continued to create a brilliant atmosphere and they got the goal their efforts deserved when Isak Alemayehu arrived at the back post to head into the ground and beyond Filip Jorgensen, off the underside of the bar.
It feels unlikely that will have any significant impact on the outcome of the tie, though, as Chelsea head back to Stamford Bridge with a three-goal advantage, knowing a final clash with either Real Betis or Fiorentina is almost certainly just 90 minutes away.
