There is a significant gap in class, resources and talent levels between Chelsea and the vast majority of our potential opponents in the UEFA Conference League, and perhaps never has that been more extreme than when we face the lowest-placed team (according to UEFA) at home. coefficient). last night.

As such, Chelsea were expected to win, win easily and win big.

And we have lived up to all those expectations.

That may sound like we were barely meeting the minimum requirements, but we could easily have scored in double figures and perhaps even made a run to topple the club record for our biggest ever win (still stands as the 13-0 against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the 1971 Cup Winners’ Cup, one leg from an aggregate score of 21-0).

But unlike that part-time semi-professional team from Liechtenstein, FC Noah is a real professional team, with a lot of experience and reasonable talent on the field and in the dugout. They went through four (4!) qualifying rounds to get into the competition stage, and had also won one of their first two matches at this stage.

But because we treated this game with the attention and focus it deserved, they never had a chance.

That may sound easy, but it isn’t necessarily so. Head coach Enzo Maresca was happy to acknowledge that in his post-match assessment, which focused on the professional approach and execution of his players – a theme he had previously touched on during a similar midweek outing.

“The players have once again shown how professional and serious they are. It is very easy to sleep or fall in this kind of games. Football is full of surprises. I said to them before the match to show how serious we are, how professional. I think they have shown that and it is an important message for all of us.”

“We have to be serious. It’s never easy, as I said before: football is full of surprises. If you’re not mentally ready, if you don’t take it seriously, you can fall against any team. The most important thing is that we are serious, we are professional. This is the right thing we had to show tonight.”

-Enzo Maresca; source: Football.London

The victory means Chelsae remains top of the Conference League, with no fewer than sixteen goals in just three games.

Let’s hope we saved some for Sunday!