Chelsea maintained their 100 per cent record in the Europa Conference League with a comfortable 2-0 win over Heidenheim on Thursday night.
Christopher Nkunku got Chelsea up and running with his fifth goal in four European games before Mykhaylo Mudryk made sure of all three points.
Chelsea maintained their position at the top of the table with just two games remaining in the league phase.
GB News takes a look at four things learned from Chelsea’s latest victory in Europe.
Mykhaylo Mudryk has found some form in Europe
REUTERS
Mudryk and Nkunku form
They might be struggling to stake a claim for a starting spot in the Premier League, but Nkunku and Mudryk are slowly building up some impressive form in Europe to give Maresca a selection headache.
Nkunku’s issue is that he’s in direct competition with Nicolas Jackson for the starting role in attack and the Senegal international has found top form under Maresca while Mudryk is up against Joao Felix and Noni Madueke.
It’s raised questions over both their futures at Stamford Bridge, with both starting just once in the Premier League this season.
However, Nkunku now has five in four games in Europe while Mudryk has scored three along with three assists.
Both could be pushing for a starting spot this weekend as Chelsea host Aston Villa.
Chelsea avoid banana skin
Chelsea would have fully expected to ease through the league stage of the Europa Conference League, so much so that they could have easily got complacent.
But Maresca has kept his team on track with a 100 per cent record in the competition and only a few points away from securing a top-eight finish.
Bypassing the first round play-offs is crucial for Chelsea with Maresca’s side still fighting near the top of the table in the Premier League.
They won’t be able to afford any distractions, but the Europa Conference League is a great opportunity for Chelsea to pick up a trophy.
Sancho concern
Much like Nkunku and Mudryk, Jadon Sancho is struggling to break into Maresca’s starting line-up in the Premier League.
But unlike the other attackers, Sancho is yet to get off the mark in a Chelsea shirt and looked absent at times against Heidenheim.
Christopher Nkunku has scored five in four Europa Conference League games
REUTERS
Chelsea have an obligation to buy Sancho for £25million at the end of the season, but they’re yet to see any returns on their initial investment.
Maresca will want to see some improvements quickly or he may look elsewhere in his squad to feature in Europe.
Casadei blow
Players on a yellow card are advised to act with caution to avoid a sending off but Cesare Casadei will count himself extremely unlucky after his red card in the last few seconds against Heidenheim.
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Cesare Casadei was shown a harsh red card
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The Bundesliga side were already defeated 2-0 with the game just seconds away from ending when Casadei lightly touched an opposition player who went down near the halfway line.
And the referee showed no mercy whatsoever in pulling out a second yellow for the midfielder, meaning he will miss some valuable minutes in the Europa Conference League.
Casadei is yet to feature in the Premier League this season with Europe being his main opportunity, but the harsh red card will hurt his chances.