Chelsea beat Heidenheim 2-0 on Thursday to extend their perfect record in the Conference League after four games and remain atop the continental table.
Chelsea have 12 points, with Rapid Vienna and Legia Warsaw having the chance to match that tally later. The loss marked Heidenheim’s first dropped points of the competition, though they are still sixth ahead of the later evening contests.
The Premier League side cannot be eliminated from the tournament at the group phase with the win, and now can focus energy on finishing in the top eight and getting a bye to the round of 16.
A tepid first half saw Chelsea’s starting XI perhaps unsurprisingly struggle to gel, though there were moments of quality from Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho and Marc Guiu in particular. Mykhailo Mudryk had a claim for a penalty turned down despite the VAR asking the on-field official to take another look at the pitchside monitor.
Heidenheim enjoyed spells of pressure too in the opening 45 minutes, looking particularly dangerous in transition, but neither team truly threatened to break the deadlock before Serdar Gözübüyük’s half-time whistle.
The second half proved livelier almost immediately, however, with Nkunku scoring in the 51st minute after a good first touch following Sancho’s cross from the right-hand side. It marked the France international’s seventh European goal of the season, and his 11th in all competitions.
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Heidenheim looked to bounce back, coming close after a defensive mix-up saw Benoît Badiashile leave the ball after he thought it was going out of play only for Léo Scienza to keep it in and rifle a drive beyond the far post.
Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen was forced to make several good saves, in particular after Paul Wanner was played in behind. The Bayern Munich loanee saw his powerful effort stopped by a strong left hand, before Scienza’s tamer rebound bounced wide of the goal frame.
As the Bundesliga side poured numbers forward, Chelsea looked to capitalise on the counter, with João Félix playing Nkunku in behind after the Portugal star came off the bench, only for his strike partner to be denied by the foot of Kevin Müller in the Heidenheim goal.
Heidenheim did put the ball in the back of the net in the 79th minute through Max Breunig, only to see it correctly ruled out for offside, and Chelsea eventually ended the game as a contest when Sancho and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall exchanged passes before squaring to Mudryk, who smashed the ball into the top right corner.
The game no doubt marked the toughest test Enzo Maresca’s side have faced in Europe’s third-tier competition, with the west London side’s campaign continuing against Astana in Kazahkstan on Dec. 12. They will have to make do without Cesare Casadei, who was sent off in the dying embers of the game for a second yellow card.
They host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in the Premier League.
