The Blues were beaten 2-1 by a spirited Legia Warsaw side who scored early in both halves. Marc Cucurella had equalised for us shortly after the half-hour mark, and the Spaniard was denied a second soon after by the VAR.

Once Legia went back ahead from a set-piece, Chelsea had several chances to level, going closest through subs Noni Madueke and Tyrique George.

So our nine-game winning streak in the Conference League is at an end, but we will have a semi-final to look forward to at the start of May.

Seven changes

Enzo Maresca made seven changes to the team that started against Ipswich on Sunday. Tosin Adarabioyo, Cucurella, Cole Palmer, and Nicolas Jackson were the players to retain their place.

Filip Jorgensen, Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badiashile (playing his 50th Chelsea game), Reece James, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Christopher Nkunku and Jadon Sancho all started in Warsaw last week, and they were back in the side tonight.

Seventeen-year-old midfielder Landon Emenalo was named on the bench for the first time.

Chelsea start fast but then concede

There was a chance inside 90 seconds for Palmer to put us in front. Nkunku intercepted a pass and the loose ball ran into Palmer’s path. He raced away towards the Shed End and fired high into the side-netting.

We didn’t have to wait long for another presentable opening. This time Jackson did well to flick a header into Sancho’s path. He squared for Nkunku, whose shot was saved by Vladan Kovacevic. The rebound bounced towards Palmer who steered a header goalwards. The Legia keeper recovered quickly and saved well.

So it was against the early run of play that our visitors went ahead. Tomas Pekhart latched on to an incisive through pass and just reached the ball before Jorgensen, who brought him down. Pekhart’s penalty squeezed past Jorgensen.

That was on ten minutes, and ten minutes later Legia very nearly doubled their advantage. Claude Goncalves released the speedy Ryoya Morishita, and he darted clear before drilling his shot a fraction beyond Jorgensen’s right-hand post.

We looked a little shaken by Legia’s fast start, but before long were back on top. Cucurella shot over, but his time would come!

That man again!

Sancho advanced into the right-hand side of the area before firing in a low centre that was perfect for Cucu, once again displaying his happy knack of threatening in the opposition’s six-yard box. He couldn’t miss from that distance out, and with just over half-an-hour played we were all square.

Goncalves had Jorgensen briefly worried with a lob from just inside our half, before we thought we had completed the comeback. Palmer’s deep cross was contested by Nkunku, Cucurella, and a Legia defender, with the loose ball falling to the Frenchman. He squared for Cucurella to volley into an empty net, but VAR spotted an offside and the goal was disallowed.

Tyrique George replaced Jackson for the second half. The 18-year-old led the line, as he had for the second half in Warsaw a week ago.

George was quickly involved, very nearly latching on to a clever Palmer backflick after good work from Sancho. Down the other end, Jorgensen had to be alert to Goncalves’ header.

There was nothing our keeper could do to prevent Steve Kapuadi restoring Legia’s lead eight minutes into the second period, though. Goncalves was left unmarked from a corner and his downward volley was turned in by Kapuadi, quickest to react in the six-yard box.

Seeking another response

In response, Sancho stung Kovacevic’s palms after good work from James in midfield.

Madueke replaced Cucurella and Palmer with Malo Gusto and Noni Madueke on the hour. There was a remarkable escape for Legia almost immediately, as first Madueke’s shot was blocked on the line and then George’s, after it had slipped through Kovacevic’s grasp. Madueke had another shot saved as we kept the momentum up.

At the other end, Legia’s appeals for a penalty for a foul by Jorgensen were waved away after the keeper had spilled a shot from distance.

On 72 minutes, George had the ball in the net from a fast Chelsea break led by Madueke. Alas, the offside flag was raised, denying the Academy graduate a first Stamford Bridge goal.

The closing stages played out without major incident at either end, Chelsea still mostly on the front foot but not threatening, besides a George shot over.

What it means…

We will contest a semi-final tie against Swedish side Djurgarden on 1 May and 8 May.

What’s next…

Fulham on Sunday at the Cottage, kick-off 3pm.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Cucurella (Gusto 58); James (c), Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho (Neto 83), Palmer (Madueke 58), Nkunku; Jackson (George h/t)

Unused subs: Bergstrom, Sanchez, Antwi, Amougou, Emenalo, Rak-Sakyi, Walsh, Neto, Mheuka

Scorer Cucurella 33

Booked Jorgensen 9, Badiashile 48

Legia Warsaw (4-3-3): Kovacevic; Pankov, Ziolkowski (Jedrzejczyk 86), Kapuadi, Ruben Vinagre; Oyedele, Elitim (Augustyniak 78), Goncalves (Bichakhchyan 86); Morishita, Peckhart (c) (Chodnya 67), Luquinhas (Szczepaniak 77)

Unused subs: Mendes, Tobiasz, Mozie, Bichakhchyan, Jedrzejczyk, Olewinski, Kun

Scorers Peckhart (pen) 10, Kapuadi 53

Referee Alejandro Hernandez from Spain

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