Chelsea continued their unbeaten run in this season’s UEFA Conference League with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstani champions Astana in freezing Almaty. The victory cements them at the top of the league phase table and all but guarantees a top-eight seeding.
Astana, playing their home fixtures in Almaty due to stadium renovations, hosted the Blues in -11°C conditions. Despite the long journey and heavy squad rotation, Chelsea dominated from the outset.
Marc Guiu opened the scoring after 15 minutes with a sensational solo goal, before Aleksandr Marochkin’s own goal doubled Chelsea’s lead. Renato Veiga then headed home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner to make it 3-0 before half-time.
A moment of class from Astana’s captain Marin Tomasov gave the hosts a lifeline as he fired in via the post just before the interval. Astana started the second half brightly, with Tomasov testing Filip Jörgensen, but Chelsea soon asserted themselves again.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Tyrique George, and Guiu all went close to adding to Chelsea’s tally, but the first-half efforts were enough to seal the win. Astana remain in the hunt for the play-offs, while Chelsea’s impressive European form rolls on.
