Key stats
- Pafos' first shot on target in the game came in the 81st minute
- Hosts Chelsea have been perfect at home this Champions League season with four wins in four contests on home soil with 10 goals scored and one conceded.
- Pafos have failed to score in four of their seven games, only Slavia Praha (five) have failed to score more often in this season' Champions League.
Highlights
Analysis
Chelsea completely dominated the game but the winning goal eluded them until late in the piece.
Match report
Chelsea’s defeat to Atalanta in their previous UCL encounter left them realistically needing two victories from their remaining two league phase matches to secure a top-eight spot. Against Pafos, who themselves were still in with a chance of reaching the play-off round, the Blues dominated possession and territory in the opening 45 minutes.
It took them until the 11th minute to register their first shot, when Pedro Neto cut inside and fired over the crossbar, before Reece James curled an effort just wide of the post from the edge of the area around the quarter-hour mark.
The home side thought they had taken the lead shortly after when Enzo Fernández headed home, but the goal was chalked off for a push on Derrick Luckassen.
The Cypriots had barely made a foray into the Chelsea half in the opening 30 minutes, but they then went closest to opening the scoring.
They would have been fortunate to do so, though, as Jajá’s shot took a heavy deflection off James before hitting the post. That close shave appeared to jolt Chelsea into life, and they threatened to break the deadlock several times prior to HT.
First, Moisés Caicedo was denied by Jay Gorter before Benoît Badiashile headed past the post from Alejandro Garnacho’s cross. Another fierce Caicedo drive was pushed away to safety by Gorter, and the Dutch goalkeeper was also required to keep out Jorrel Hato’s strike as Chelsea moved through the gears.
After the break, the game followed the same pattern. Chelsea had all of the ball, only this time, with the introduction of the exciting Estêvão. The Brazilian teenager almost made a tangible impact inside 10 minutes, when another Gorter save kept out his fantastic volley.
Neto was next to be thwarted by the shot-stopper, followed by Caicedo. Pafos’ players, meanwhile, were leaving everything on the pitch, best illustrated when Luckassen produced a stunning last-gasp block to keep out Garnacho.
Finally, though, Pafos’ resistance was broken in the 78th minute - thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not Chelsea here. A baker’s dozen of corners before finally finding the back of the net may frustrate head coach Liam Rosenior, yet he was clearly delighted on the sidelines as Caicedo headed home.
In response, the Cypriot outfit finally opened up, but were unable to find an equaliser, leaving them on six points ahead of their last league phase match against Slavia Praha next week.
Meanwhile, Rosenior has now won three of his four games since taking the helm at Chelsea, but a triumph at Napoli to round off his side’s league phase campaign would be his most important yet.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jay Gorter (Pafos)
Post-match comments
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says he was a big fan of his side's energy and body language.
"We knew Pafos were very well-organised. The games they've played in this competition, they've always been a big challenge," he told TNT Sports.
"A lot of good things, just the final bit. We had dominance, control, the goalkeeper made some good saves, but the thing I really liked about the team today was the body language.
"It never changed, the energy, the counter press, was really good. You want to score more goals but we're in a position where if we win the next game, we're in the top eight."
Chelsea goalscorer Moises Caicedo told TNT Sports: "It was a very important goal for the team so I'm so happy because the game was so tough. The team was good.
"We got three points and now we're going to enjoy and we're going to keep going because we have one more game to go."
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana heaped praise on Caicedo.
"Everyone knows he's incredible," he told TNT Sports.
"He helps the team without the ball a lot but with the ball as well.
"Tonight we see he scores a good header, he's not the most tall but he scores and we're very happy. Moises is incredible."