Enzo Maresca has high praise for his young Chelsea side, who helped the Blues beat Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Chelsea confirmed their place in the next round of the Conference League with a 3-1 win, racing into a 3-1 lead before their opponents got one back before half-time.
Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga were on the scoresheet for the visitors, with an own goal from Aleksandr Marochkin providing the icing on the cake to continue the Blues' perfect record in the competition.
Chelsea fielded a marginal side in the match, with a number of key players staying at home and the likes of Samuel Rak-Sakyi (19), Josh Acheampong (18) and Tyrique George (18) all getting starts and, in some cases, 90 minutes .
The substitutes' bench was also made up entirely of academy players, with the likes of Harvey Vale, Kiano Dyer and Shumaira Mheuka getting minutes in the second half.
And after the match, Maresca spoke highly of his young team, singling out three players in particular for praise.
“I was impressed with them all,” said the Italian. “Those who started, Tyrique, Sam and Josh, have all done really well. Very happy for them.
'Also those who came on in the second half. So I'm happy for them.'
Chelsea played in minus 15 degrees, including Maresca, which took place in a stadium where the pitch sometimes proved difficult to play on.
Blues fans who made the journey to watch Maresca's side received a touching promotional gift to mark the mammoth journey, with the Conference League tie in Almaty being the furthest the Blues have ever traveled for a European match, Almaty Ortalyk Stadium no fewer than 3,485 spectators. miles from Stamford Bridge.
But the Blues stayed professional to get the job done and can now look forward to their place in the next round of a competition they should be winning.
Next up, it's Brentford this weekend as Maresca and Co look to continue their perhaps shock Premier League title run.
“We knew it would be cold,” Maresca added. 'We have tried to adapt. The players did fantastic with the weather conditions, the long flight yesterday and the field was probably not ideal. But I am very happy for the players.
“We land around 6am UK time, but we will try to prepare for the match as best we can, as we have always done this season.”
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