Chelsea were met with boos from their fans at full-time after stumbling into the Europa Conference League semi-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win, despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge.
Just like in Sunday’s disappointing draw against Ipswich, the Blues began on the front foot but were undone by Legia’s very first attack.
Tomas Pekhart confidently slotted past Filip Jorgensen from the penalty spot, having been brought down by the Chelsea goalkeeper inside the box.
Legia boss Goncalo Feio had stated before the clash that his team would “dare to dream” of a shock turnaround if they managed to strike first in London.
Those ambitions nearly took flight moments later when Ryoya Morishita found himself through on goal but dragged his shot just wide of the far post, missing a chance to double the visitors’ lead.
Enzo Maresca, who had faced tough questions about growing supporter dissatisfaction in the build-up, once again heard the grumbles from the crowd—until Marc Cucurella provided some much-needed relief.
Chelsea’s top Premier League scorer in 2025 stepped up again, tapping in Jadon Sancho’s low cross for his fourth goal of the calendar year, drawing the home side level before the interval and easing some of the mounting tension at the Bridge.
After the break, Chelsea’s woes continued as Claude Goncalves’ strike from a corner was bundled over the line by Steve Kapuadi, restoring Legia’s lead and rekindling faint hopes of a comeback.
The Polish side may feel hard done by after being denied a second spot-kick. Jorgensen appeared to clatter into Luquinhas after fumbling a cross, but referee Alejandro Hernandez waved play on—VAR official Guillermo Cuadra saw no reason to intervene either.
In the end, Chelsea held on comfortably enough to seal progression, though their shaky display drew fresh boos from the supporters—marking a second straight underwhelming home outing.
Maresca’s side now await the winner between Djurgardens and Rapid Vienna, with the semi-final legs scheduled for May 1 and May 8.
