Chelsea crumble in Eternal City as Roma top Champions League Group C
Chelsea’s defeat left them second in Group C behind the Italian side.
Chelsea crumbled as Roma moved to the top of Champions League Group C with a 3-0 victory at Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday night.
Stephan El Shaarawy scored after 38 seconds and pounced on an Antonio Rudiger error to make it 2-0 after 36 minutes.
Diego Perotti struck a fine third after 63 minutes and there would be no Chelsea comeback this time as Roma moved on to eight points, one more than the Blues.
Tweet of the match
Star man – Stephan El Shaarawy
For his clinical finishes. Honourable mentions for Edin Dzeko and Perotti, plus Aleksandar Kolarov.
Moment of the match
Roma took the lead after 38 seconds when Kolarov and Dzeko, two former Manchester City men, combined and a stroke of luck saw El Shaarawy strike a crisp effort which left Chelsea chasing for the rest of the game.
Kante conundrum
N’Golo Kante is back in training following his hamstring injury, but the midfielder was not risked, not even among the substitutes, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. The diminutive Kante’s absence creates a sizeable void and Chelsea are not the same team without him. Kante’s only two goals last season came against United and Chelsea will hope for another on Sunday. But the Frenchman cannot be expected to solve all their problems and the defensive display will have alarmed Antonio Conte.
What they said
Ratings
Who’s up next?
Fiorentina v Roma (Serie A, November 5)
Chelsea v Manchester United (Premier League, November 5)
