Chelsea are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League, holding off Legia Warsaw despite a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of their dominant 3-0 victory in the first leg in Poland.
The night got off to a rocky start for the Blues. Just 10 minutes in, goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen—starting ahead of Robert Sanchez—brought down Tomas Pekhart in the box. The Legia striker stepped up and slotted the penalty home, giving the visitors a surprise lead. Jorgensen did get a touch on the ball but couldn’t keep it out.
Chelsea responded just after the half-hour mark. Jadon Sancho, once again showing his class, delivered a low cross that Marc Cucurella calmly tapped in to bring the score level. Cucurella thought he had a second just before halftime, but VAR ruled it out for offside.
Legia weren’t done, though. Early in the second half, Steve Kapuadi nodded in from close range to restore their lead. Chelsea pushed hard for another goal, with substitutes Noni Madueke and Tyrique George both coming close—George even had a goal ruled out—but they couldn’t find the net again.
Still, the job was done. Chelsea’s 4-2 aggregate win sets up a semi-final showdown with Swedish side Djurgarden, who edged out Rapid Vienna 4-1 after extra time.
Lifting the Conference League trophy would guarantee Chelsea a Europa League spot next season, though they’re also still in the hunt for a top-five Premier League finish, which could hand them a return to the Champions League.