5 things we noticed as Chelsea beat BATE

Chelsea have one foot in the Europa League knockout stages after Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s hat-trick sank BATE Borisov.

The midfielder gave Maurizio Sarri’s second string the lead just 96 seconds into the game against the 14-time Belarusian champions when he turned home Davide Zappacosta ’s cross.

And he effectively killed the fixture as a contest little more than six minutes later when he hooked Willian’s corner past BATE keeper Denis Scherbitski.

He then completed his treble with a well-placed finish less than nine minutes into the second half, with Aleksey Rios’s 79th-minute goal just a consolation for BATE.

The opener was Loftus-Cheek’s first goal since April, when he scored for loan side Crystal Palace against Leicester .

While his last goal for Chelsea came two years before that one, away at Aston Villa in the Premier League.

The Blues stayed top of Group L and a win against BATE in Belarusia in a fortnight will secure their safe passage into the next round.

1. Ianni returns from Mourinho battle

Jose Mourinho’s tormentor Marco Ianni took centre stage at Stamford Bridge again — but this time only during the pre-match warm-up.

Few outside of the Blues inner sanctum, and maybe even one or two in it, knew who Maurizio Sarri’s assistant was until he sparked a tunnel melee with his touchline celebrations after Chelsea’s late equaliser against Manchester United on Saturday.

But BT Sport’s cameras couldn’t wait to pick him out here as he helped with the drills prior to kick-off.

Ianni had until 6pm, two hours before kick off, to respond to an FA charge of improper conduct, but the deadline passed without him contesting it.

2. Loftus’ heights highlights Giroud’s frustrations


Olivier Giroud will be wondering what he has to do get off the mark for Chelsea this season after a fine second-half effort was brilliantly saved by BATE keeper Denis Scherbitski.

The Frenchman swivelled 180 degrees and then fired a crisp shot goalwards as Chelsea looked for a fourth but Scherbitski reacted superbly to paw it away.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek had no such problems as he bagged his hat-trick, with his third goal prompting a rendition of ‘one of our own’ from the Matthew Harding Stand.

They’d love to see Loftus-Cheek do well in these parts, although the joy and excitement which greeted Callum Hudson-Odoi’s introduction in the second half suggested there’s a much greater belief that the 17-year-old will be the academy graduate who really makes it.

3. Cahill and Christensen’s Blues

Gary Cahill and Andreas Christensen are both considering their Chelsea futures after failing to command a place in Maurizio Sarri’s starting line-up this season.

Cahill has spoken openly of his desire to leave in January if things don’t change, while Christensen’s father, who is also his agent, claimed recently that they’d look to move him on in January if his game time continued to be limited.

Both will face tougher challenges than the one BATE gave them, probably against Derby in the Carabao Cup next week, but both showed what good defenders they are.

They will have plenty of options if they and Chelsea do decide it’s time for a change in the next window.

4. Hleb’s return

Former Arsenal star Alexander Hleb managed to catch up with a couple of old pals on his return to London with BATE.

But, other than that, it really wasn’t a fruitful trip for the 37-year-old.

Hleb played with Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas during his days with the Gunners and with winger Pedro following his move to Barcelona in 2008.

He was booked for a foul on Kovacic and then clattered by the Real Madrid loanee, and looked each one of his years as he was substituted just shy of the hour.

5. Automobiles and Tractors

BATE — which stands Borisov Automobile and Tractor Electronics — were founded in 1973 but disbanded in 1984 despite winning the Belarusian title three times in the Soviet era.

They were reformed in 1996 and since then have won the Belarusian Premier League 14 times, the last 12 of those titles coming in successive years.

At Stamford Bridge, their players all wore black armbands in tribute to their founder Anatoly Kapsky, who has died of cancer aged 52, and they will continue to do so for the rest of the season.

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