Chelsea made it two wins from two in the UEFA Conference League as they beat Greek Super League side Panathinaikos 4-1.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues shot to the top of the league phase table as a result, and they have now scored four goals or more in five games in all competitions so far this season.
There was a highly emotional atmosphere inside the Athens Olympic Stadium; 18 days earlier, George Baldock had played in the hosts’ 0-0 draw against sworn enemies Olympiacos – on Thursday, tributes were paid to the former Sheffield United defender, who died on October 9 aged just 31.
Placards with Baldock’s squad number 32 printed on them were raised aloft in the stands, while a version of David Bowie’s hit ‘Starman’ was played over the PA system, in a nod to the nickname given to him by Blades fans.
Chelsea had to navigate the opening stages carefully; they allowed Gent to test them early on in their opener three weeks earlier and did the same in Greece. Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen made a good save to tip Tin Jedvaj’s downward header away, before Azzedine Ounahi hit a dipping shot wide from 20 yards.
Midway through the first half, Chelsea took the lead. Joao Felix glanced a header on to Mykhailo Mudryk and prodded home the neat return ball from the Ukrainian winger. It’s rare to call a 1-0 lead comfortable, but that’s exactly what it was by the time the interval arrived.
Mudryk doubled the lead inside two minutes of the restart when he headed in Pedro Neto’s inviting ball from the right, and Felix added his second to make it 3-0 with a shot that took a wicked deflection off the boot of Nemanja Maksimovic before beating Panathinaikos goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski.
The win was all but secured just before the hour when Christopher Nkunku tucked home a penalty – despite lasers being shone in his face – after Daniel Mancini was adjudged to have handled in the box.
Ex-Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri tapped in a cross from Georgios Vagiannidis to reduce the deficit, but it was nothing more than a consolation for the Greek Super League side.
