Chelsea's Champions League campaign is back on track after a thrilling 3-2 win at Napoli, courtesy of sublime strikes from Joao Pedro. The Blues' sixth-place finish in the league phase table was sealed with this victory, and they now face a daunting task in the knockout phase.
A perfect start for Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez converted an early penalty to give them the lead after Juan Jesus was penalised for handball from a Blues free-kick. However, Napoli roused themselves into life, and Maradona-esque Antonio Vergara equalized just after half-time with a spinning goal past Wesley Fofana.
Rasmus Hojlund then gave Napoli the lead before Pedro levelled the score mere minutes later, scoring his first Champions League goal since joining the club. The Blues' attack was revitalised with Pedro's second strike in the 90th minute, and they finished with eight minutes of normal time remaining to secure their spot in the round of 16.
Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior has been praised for correcting his tactical error during the game, bringing on Trevoh Chalobah and Cole Palmer to change the team's setup. Despite struggling initially, the Blues adapted well to Napoli's press and breached their defense down the left flank.
The victory marks a significant boost for Chelsea, who will now face one of Qarabag, Monaco, Newcastle, or PSG in the round of 16. For Rosenior, this win is a testament to his ability to learn from mistakes and adapt his team's strategy.
Pedro was ecstatic about his goals, describing them as 'brilliant' and praising his teammates for their positive reaction to going behind. He urged people to focus on the Premier League ahead but acknowledged that beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League would be a huge challenge.
Chelsea will now prepare for their next match against West Ham on Saturday before facing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, followed by Wolves and Leeds in the league. Their FA Cup tie against Hull and Premier League clash with Burnley remain ahead of them in March.
Injuries have decimated Napoli's campaign, but they are left to ponder how their Serie A champions finished 30th out of 36 teams.
A perfect start for Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez converted an early penalty to give them the lead after Juan Jesus was penalised for handball from a Blues free-kick. However, Napoli roused themselves into life, and Maradona-esque Antonio Vergara equalized just after half-time with a spinning goal past Wesley Fofana.
Rasmus Hojlund then gave Napoli the lead before Pedro levelled the score mere minutes later, scoring his first Champions League goal since joining the club. The Blues' attack was revitalised with Pedro's second strike in the 90th minute, and they finished with eight minutes of normal time remaining to secure their spot in the round of 16.
Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior has been praised for correcting his tactical error during the game, bringing on Trevoh Chalobah and Cole Palmer to change the team's setup. Despite struggling initially, the Blues adapted well to Napoli's press and breached their defense down the left flank.
The victory marks a significant boost for Chelsea, who will now face one of Qarabag, Monaco, Newcastle, or PSG in the round of 16. For Rosenior, this win is a testament to his ability to learn from mistakes and adapt his team's strategy.
Pedro was ecstatic about his goals, describing them as 'brilliant' and praising his teammates for their positive reaction to going behind. He urged people to focus on the Premier League ahead but acknowledged that beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League would be a huge challenge.
Chelsea will now prepare for their next match against West Ham on Saturday before facing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, followed by Wolves and Leeds in the league. Their FA Cup tie against Hull and Premier League clash with Burnley remain ahead of them in March.
Injuries have decimated Napoli's campaign, but they are left to ponder how their Serie A champions finished 30th out of 36 teams.
But let's not get too carried away here. They still got a tough road ahead in the Champions League and if they want to make it past PSG... 
that's gonna be a real challenge.
Injuries aside, I think they had some decent moments but just couldn't sustain it. Still, their comeback against Chelsea was impressive and shows they're not out of the woods yet.
and btw who's trevoh chalobah again? i think he's the new kid on the block or is it cole palmer that's all the hype now? anywayz, they deserve a win after those 6th place finishes in the league table... they were like the ultimate underdog 
omg did u no chelsea was doin so bad last season? now dey r back on track! joao pedro is a total game changer tho, he scored like 3 goals and got everyone hyped! 
i'm loving liam rosenior's tactics, he made some great adjustments at halftime that totally turned the game around. nappy is havin a pretty rough season though, i feel bad for dem 
they lost so many players to injuries and still managed 30th place in the league... 
anyway, can't wait to see chelsea take on PSG in the champs league! 
now that they're back on track 
! I was worried when they were struggling in the league, but this win against Napoli was a game-changer 
. Joao Pedro is literally on fire 
with those two goals and it's amazing to see him score his first Champions League goal since joining the team 
. The coach Liam Rosenior made a big call by switching up the lineup and it paid off 
. But I'm all for Chelsea giving it their all and going for it 
. I mean, it's not just Pedro who scored the goals, his teammates stepped up big time 
. It's great to see Rosenior adapt his tactics and get them playing well in front of goal 
️. Now they gotta focus on the Premier League, but beating PSG in the Champions League? That's a tall order! 
! The way he levelled the score back up was insane! 
. Now, let's get real, beating PSG in the next round ain't gonna be easy 
... but for now, I'm feeling like Chelsea is back on track and ready to go 
!
! i mean those strikers joao pedro and rasmus hojlund are on fire 
, fingers crossed they keep this momentum going 
. Napoli's defense is looking a mess too 
, they've conceded 15 goals in the past 5 matches 
.
: their odds have dropped from 20/1 to 10/2 since this win, and they're now favored to make the quarterfinals 
. meanwhile, Napoli is looking like a huge underdog 
. gotta say, I'm loving the unpredictability of this Champions League campaign 
!
! But for real though, Napoli put up quite the fight and Maradona-esque moves from Antonio Vergara had me in stitches 
. Chelsea's gonna have to bring their A-game against PSG in the Champions League, but I got faith in Pedro 
️. Now let's see how they handle PSG though... that's gonna be a tough one 
They were down by one goal but that Joao Pedro scored those TWO goals in like 2 minutes? 
#GoBlue #ChampionsLeague #PedroToTheRescue
, who scored a sublime double 
. The tactical switch with Chalobah and Palmer in the 2nd half totally changed the momentum 
. Fingers crossed for Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16! 
. Qarabag or Monaco next? Either way, it'll be an exciting ride! 
The penalty call against Napoli was super sketchy, and it's still frustrating to see Chelsea get the win due to an obvious handball. 
And don't even get me started on the delay between goals - like, how hard is it to get those automated substitutions updated? 
Liam Rosenior is like a genius coach too, i mean who else could turn around that game and get Chelsea into the round of 16?!?