Chelsea kept their UEFA Champions League ambitions firmly on track with a narrow but vital 1-0 victory over Pafos at Stamford Bridge today. The result, which extended the Blues' impressive home record in Europe, came in a match they dominated for long spells but had to work hard to win.
Ahead of the encounter, SoftFootball had highlighted Chelsea's confidence at home and their intention to build on that strength against the Cypriot side, a theme that played out as expected on the night in west London. The win was also another small step in Liam Rosenior's early reign as Chelsea head coach, coming shortly after a positive start domestically.
That growing sense of stability under Rosenior has been evident since his arrival, including the momentum gained from his Premier League debut victory, which SoftFootball covered when Chelsea beat Brentford in his first league match in charge . Against Pafos, the performance was not flawless, but the outcome mattered most.
