Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso proved to be the hero for the Blues on the long run after they secured a slim advantage over Czech side Slavia Prague in the first ninety minutes of their last eight tie in the Europa League.
Blues manager Maurizio Sarri rested a lot of players for the Slavia Prague game including star player Eden Hazard who scored a brace in their last league game on Monday night.
The Belgian was in superb form as he scored a brace either side of the halftime interval to give Europa League favourites Chelsea a 2-0 win over London rivals West Ham United.
With Hazard and the other rested first-team players, Chelsea struggled for consistency against a vibrant Slavia Prague side, especially in the first half.
The introduction of the aforementioned Hazard just before the hour mark appeared to galvanise Chelsea who went on to score an important away goal four minutes from time through Marcos Alonso.
Spanish left-back endured a torrid first half but the defender improved after the interval before netting the all-important goal for Chelsea late in the game.
Both teams meet again at Stamford Bridge on Thursday with Chelsea firmly in the driving seat after the 1-0 away win over Slavia Prague in their first leg meeting.
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