Author: cimi

Chelsea made hard work of their progression to the Conference League semi-finals, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Legia Warsaw on Thursday but still winning the tie on aggregate.

With a three-goal advantage from the first leg, Enzo Maresca’s side were expected to breeze through to the next round but, despite naming several of his big names in the starting lineup, Chelsea never looked comfortable at Stamford Bridge.

As was the case at the weekend against Ipswich Town, Chelsea’s fast start ultimately saw them punished. Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen conceded a penalty ten minutes in as he tripped Tomas Pekhart, who stepped up to the spot and managed to squeeze his strike through Chelsea’s stand-in stopper to give Legia the lead.

Ryoya Morishita should have doubled Legia’s advantage but it was Marc Cucurella who was next to celebrate, tapping home a Jadon Sancho cross on the half-hour mark to tie things up. The left-back even had the ball in the back of the net again on the stroke of half-time, only for VAR to spot an offside earlier in the move.

Steve Kapuadi nodded Legia ahead from a corner early in the second half, and the centre-back then went back to his preferred end of the field to clear a Tyrique George strike off the line. George did tap home with 17 minutes to go but, once again, the offside flag brought an abrupt end to the celebrations.

The Blues never really felt like taking control of the game but, most importantly, did not look particularly uncomfortable in the closing stages, simply doing enough to ensure the spot in the final four went their way after another bitterly disappointing showing which was received by a chorus of boos after the final whistle

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Lucas Bergstrom (GK), Robert Sanchez (GK), Genesis Antwi, Landon Emenalo, Mathis Amougou, Reggie Walsh, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Shim Mheuka

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Kacper Tobiasz (GK), Marcel Mendes-Dudzinski (GK), Oliwier Olewinski, Patryk Kun, Pascal Mozie

Player of the match – Vladan Kovacevic (Legia Warsaw)

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Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for Arsenal after his Real Madrid side were convincingly beaten 5-1 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-final.

The Gunners had been much the better team while romping to a 3-0 victory in the first leg last week and drowned out the growing speculation of a potential comeback with a professional performance in Spain.

After denying Real Madrid a single shot on target in a goalless first half, Saka dinked Arsenal into a deserved lead. Vinicius Junior pounced upon a rare error from William Saliba to haul Madrid level on the night but the Gunners were scarcely fortunate to emerge with a second victory when Gabriel Martinelli streaked away in stoppage time.

“Something, we needed something,” Ancelotti sighed after Wednesday’s setback. “But we have to be honest, Arsenal deserved it in both games. Football has a happy side and a sad side. We’ve seen the happy side many times, today we got the sad side.”

Dani Ceballos echoed the same sentiment. “Arsenal were superior,” the former Gunners’ loanee conceded. “We lacked football, we lacked intensity, we weren’t competitive, we didn’t win duels.”

There were some spiky moments throughout on the pitch but it was nothing but mutual respect on the two touchlines. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had a warm exchange of words with his Madrid counterpart at the final whistle and revealed the overriding message: “Carlo Ancelotti told me that he hopes Arsenal win the Champions League.”

Saka was confident that his side could fulfil that brief. “I like to believe that,” the goalscorer beamed to TNT Sports. “We showed that we can play in Europe and beat one of the best teams in the world, home and away. Very proud of this team. Tonight was a big statement and I am so happy for everyone.”

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Chelsea are hoping to serenely stroll into the Conference League semi-finals when they welcome Legia Warsaw to Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Buoyed by the arrival of Noni Madueke off the bench, the Blues rallied in the second-half last Thursday to secure a comfortable lead at the halfway mark of their quarter-final tie with the Polish giants.

This competition has been a breeze for Enzo Maresca’s side thus far, but there have been far more issues domestically, especially in 2025. The Bridge isn’t a particularly happy place at the moment, although Maresca has urged supporters to “trust” his methods, suggesting his team are continuing to improve despite their recent indifference.

Chelsea’s desire to return to the Champions League means the boss will have one eye on the trip across west London on Sunday, and there’s bound to be plenty of Cobham representation in the manager’s starting XI on Thursday night. Here’s how they could line up for Legia’s visit.

GK: Filip Jorgensen – The former Villarreal shot-stopper has started all but one of Chelsea’s Conference League outings so far, and he’ll be hoping to enjoy another quiet night between the sticks.

RB: Josh Acheampong – The young defender has impressed in this competition, and the 18-year-old has probably warranted more Premier League minutes.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah – Wesley Fofana is out of action and Tosin Adarabioyo has climbed up Maresca’s centre-back pecking order, so we should see Chalobah start in defence on Thursday.

CB: Benoit Badiashile – Somewhat of a forgotten man in west London, the bulk of Badiashile’s starts have arrived in Europe this season. He’s started seven Conference League outings and featured just five times in the Premier League.

LB: Malo Gusto – The fulcrum of Maresca’s system, Marc Cucurella, will get a rest ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage, and Chelsea’s absence of natural left-backs means Gusto will switch flanks.

CM: Reece James – The skipper’s minutes are wisely being managed by the boss, and James was an unused substitute at the weekend after starting in Poland. He’ll be back in the side at the Bridge.

CM: Kieran Dewsbury-Hall – Many will associate Chelsea’s Conference League campaign with Dewsbury-Hall. The Englishman has started eight of their nine games in the competition so far, scoring three times.

RW: Jadon Sancho – Sanho has primarily functioned off the left for the Blues, but he could perform a role he once thrived in all those years ago at Borussia Dortmund.

AM: Christopher Nkunku – It’ll be a surprise to see Nkunku at Chelsea beyond the summer, but he still has the chance to inspire the club to continental success before the season draws to a close. The Frenchman could operate in a preferred number ten role on Thursday.

LW: Tyrique George – The 19-year-old is well-regarded in Chelsea quarters and has flickered his talent in this competition. George was on the scoresheet in the first leg and should be in Maresca’s team again for Legia’s visit.

ST: Shim Mheuka – With Nicolas Jackson unlikely to start, Nkunku offering Cole Palmer respite and Marc Guiu out injured, there could be an opportunity for 17-year-old Mheuka up top. The teenager’s appeared three times in the Conference League, and this would be his second start for the club.

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Mikel Arteta joked that he wanted to give Bukayo Saka “a clip round the ear” after his failed ‘Panenka’ penalty against Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Dani Carvajal made it a reality.

Saka’s misjudged spot-kick was beaten away by Thibaut Courtois during a tense first half at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Arsenal took a 3-0 lead to the Spanish capital after a riotous opening tie in London and had the chance to extend their advantage after Raul Asencio dragged Mikel Merino to the floor during a corner scramble.

Courtois was a match for Saka’s limp attempt at a dink in the 13th minute to keep the game goalless. Madrid had their own penalty overturned by VAR before both sets of players headed for the tunnel after a first half with seven minutes of added time.

The injured Carvajal, wearing casual clothes while he recovers from an ACL tear, was waiting on the touchline to greet his teammates when Saka trotted over. The Real Madrid stalwart appeared to initially have a friendly exchange with his Arsenal counterpart, shaking hands and gently touching the side of his face.

But as Saka continued walking towards the tunnel, Carvajal grabbed onto his arm, pulled him closer before a brief exchange of light slapping as they stumbled into the bowels of the Bernabeu.

??? ¡OJO! ¡Dani Carvajal se fue a por Saka en el descanso!
El capitán, que no puede jugar por lesión, recriminó al delantero su intento de colar un penalti a lo Panenka ???

? @jdelriomuradas pic.twitter.com/zBscrXMg3e

— MARCA (@marca) April 16, 2025

Saka emerged for the second half entirely unperturbed. Arsenal’s talisman produced a devilish dink to beat Courtois in the second half, scoring the first in what proved to be a relatively routine 2-1 win on the night for the Gunners.

“These things happen,” Saka shrugged when asked about his penalty. “I tried, but it didn’t work. But I was very confident I could score tonight. I learn from every moment, although tonight I’m more focused on enjoying the victory, and I’ll review the rest later.”

Arteta may have joked about corporal punishment but had full faith in his star man. “It could have been a turning point emotionally in the game but the way he handles it, the personality, at his age playing in this stadium for the first time was incredible,” the Arsenal boss gushed.

“I could have given him a clip round the ear. But he decided what is best: he had the courage to take it, that’s what he thought was best. I was more concerned about the emotional part of it.” Yet, Saka wasn’t fazed by his miss or the frank exchange with Carvajal.

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90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world…

Manchester United have rejected an offer from Real Betis to extend Antony‘s loan deal by a further 12 months, warning the Spanish side they must sign him permanently if they want to keep the winger beyond this summer. (The Mirror)

Progress has been made in negotiations between Man Utd and Real Betis over a permanent move for Antony. (Uriel Iugt)

Officials from the Saudi Pro League want to sign Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior for Al Ahli, while Al Nassr are now chasing Liverpool forward Luis Diaz. (talkSPORT)

Liverpool could accept bids worth over £60m for Diaz if he expresses a desire to leave Anfield. (Football Insider)

Arsenal are ready to offer €75m (£64.7m) to beat Chelsea to the signature of Barcelona defender Jules Kounde. (Fichajes – Spain)

Juventus are ready to sell striker Dusan Vlahovic for around €55m (£47.4m). Premier League suitors, namely Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Newcastle United, are considering bids of closer to €45m (£38.8m). (CaughtOffside)

Ruben Amorim is desperate for Man Utd to sell goalkeeper Andre Onana this summer, with Espanyol’s Joan Garcia and Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro his top targets. (El Nacional – Spain)

Bayern Munich are ready to pay €100m (£86.2m) to sign Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. (Fichajes – Spain)

Chelsea are ready to sell as many as 17 players this summer in the hope of raising a whopping €500m (£431.1m). Among the most surprising names available for transfer are captain Reece James, centre-back Wesley Fofana, wingers Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk and forward Christopher Nkunku. (Fichajes – Spain)

Renato Veiga is also up for sale, with Chelsea looking for €20m (£17.2m). Juventus will seek to negotiate a discount at the end of his loan deal. (TuttoJuve – Italy)

Everton manager David Moyes has identified Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap as his top striker target and plans to battle both Chelsea and Man Utd for his signature. (The Sun)

Also on Everton‘s radar is Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson, who could be available if West Ham United decline to pursue a permanent deal for the on-loan forward. (TEAMtalk)

Real Madrid are open to including Arda Guler as part of an ambitious swap bid to sign Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. (Fichajes – Spain)

Both Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are ready to pay €40m (£34.5m) to sign Barcelona forward Ferran Torres. Such offers are “very tempting” for the La Liga giants. (El Nacional – Spain)

Man Utd have moved ahead of rivals Manchester City in the race to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who is valued at €60m (£51.7m). Pep Guardiola’s side will only make such a bid if they qualify for the Champions League. (Tuttomercatoweb – Italy)

Barcelona are at risk of losing highly rated 16-year-old Guille Fernandez, who is wanted by Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Man City and Porto. (Mundo Deportivo – Spain)

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