LIVE! Real Betis vs Chelsea: Conference League Final!

Join me for regular in-game updates in this match day blog...

22.30pm - Time for me to get to bed now!

Hope you all enjoyed the live in-game blog, first of many?

Feels SO good to watch a trophy lift again. Let’s have a good summer window and build on this now. It’s pivotal.

22.20pm - Trophy lift!

22.10pm - Haha!

22.05pm - James devastated

Reece James has just admitted that he was left feeling devastated when Enzo Maresca told him he wasn’t starting the game tonight, but accepts the managers decision.

Player and manager ratings

Maresca - 7.5

Got it wrong with the starting lineup - Don’t invert Gusto. Defence was weakened. But massive credit for the second half turn around and the changes he made.

Gusto - 2

Absolutely awful I am afriad.

Chalobah - 7

Did his job.

Badiashile - 7.5

Was actually the only one looking to make line breaking passes in the first half and did well.

Cucurella - 6.5

A quieter game from him but did enough.

Fernandez - 7.5

Battled and was up for it.

Caicedo - 8

Colossal as always.

Palmer - 9.5

Man of the match, two assists, and was pulling all the strings in the second half.

Neto - 6

Some decent moves but nothing outstanding.

Madueke - 6

On and off but mainly off, a very poor first half. Better in the second.

Jackson - 6

Mixed bag. Got his goal (that he almost missed), and then that one on one was just awful. Gave it away a lot and was offside a bit too.

FULL TIME: Chelsea win the Conference League!!

We compete the set of European trophies!!!!

What a turnaround from half time!

Massive performance from us in the second half. Betis are a decent side, but we destroyed them in that second half.

Trophy lift incoming soon, I’ll have images and videoes here as I’ll stick around for a bit longer whilst I write the ratings up.

Stats..

93 mins: Best image of the night so far!

90 mins: GOAL FOR CHELSEA!!!!

Moises Caicedo gets a deserved goal with a lovely driven shot that was deflected past the keeper!!

89 mins: Brazil vs Argentina

Fernandez vs Antony in a little flare up there. Someone munch him!

87 mins - Palmer off

Marc Guiu on!

Scenes…

85 mins - Game of two halves!

Chelsea, as they so often have been under Maresca, were poor in the first half, but have come out as a different team in the second. Good changes made, good team talk I suspect, and we’re rocking again.

83 mins - GOAL FOR CHELSEA!!! 1-3!!!

Jadon Sancho cuts in and curls in a beauty! Incredible goal. GAME OVER!!!!

79 mins - Jackson off

Dewsbury-Hall comes on for the injured Jackson, who’s had a mixed evening to say the least.

78 mins - Palmer booked

For kicking the ball away. Silly that, really silly. He’s been bossing this second half.

77 mins - Jackson should have scored again

Nico was through on goal one on one with the keeper attacking after defending a corner, but his ridiculously heavy touch basically passed it back to their keeper. That was really poor.

74 mins - For the first time this game, we can hear Chelsea fans in full voice!

73 mins - Came off the top of his arm!!

Who cares though!

70 mins - GOAL FOR CHELSEA!!!!

It’s a Nicolas Jackson header and the players go wild!!!!

Another quality assist from Palmer, who is now bossing this game over Isco!!

69 mins - Chelsea all over them now and it’s open once again

What was their GK doing here though!? What a ball from Cole!

65 mins - GOAL FOR CHELSEA!!!

Said it was coming!!

Enzo Fernandez times a perfect run to get on the end of a direct Cole Palmer cross. Chelsea back in this!

63 mins - Better

More control and more intent from Chelsea so far this half. You feel a goal is coming but also, we are still so vulnerable on the counter and Betis have a lot of quality.

61 mins - SUBS

Sancho on for Neto

Colwill on for Badiashile

55 mins - Jackson almost in

Nice cross from Madueke into Jackson but the keeper comes out and takes him and the ball. Penalty check by VAR but not given, probably correct call.

Chelsea piling on the pressure now…..

Second Half - Kick off!

Off we go then…

HT - James coming on

In perhaps the most obvious change of the season, Reece James comes on for Chelsea, Gusto off!

HT - xG stats for that half

Real Betis (0.68) 1-0 (0.09) Chelsea.

Yikes.

HALF TIME: Real Betis 1 Chelsea 0

It’s not been a great watch so far at all and Gusto has been abysmal. But some encouraging signs at the end there as Chelsea started to make better use of their ball and pile on the pressure with some meaningful moves and attempts.

Stats:

44 mins - Just don’t do it

If Gusto is your only option to invert, don't invert anyone.

41 mins - Isco bossing it

A 33-year-old Isco is having the time of his life out there, completely pulling all the strings and single handedly making Betis a real threat at times.

38 mins - Slightly less open now

Chelsea starting to put more pressure on now and using the ball better.

30 mins - Same old

It’s an identical start to the game as we do so often under Maresca - too flat and lacking imagination. Will Maresca have to have his usual half time words to change things again? Why do we always play so bad in the first half?

21 mins - Betis should have scored again

Gusto completely done again and Betis stroll into the box with an easy chance, but it’s deflected wide.

Betis are so confident on every attack, game is too open.

17 mins - Betis always a threat on every counter - game still so open

Why is Gusto inverting anyway!?

8 mins - Damn, Betis take the lead

Clever pass from Isco after Gusto gave the ball away and Betis score!

Been a very open start.

0 mins - Kick Off!

19.55pm - Boehly is here too!

19.45pm - Honestly expected the night off transfers! But this is pretty big, seems it is us that he’s chosen (see live blog for reminder)

Chelsea are closing in on a move for Liam Delap after positive talks.

Delap is now leaning towards Chelsea.

- @JacobsBen

19.25pm - Blonde Moises in the house!

19.25pm - Maresca pre-match

19.02pm - I’ll start blogging on this properly from around 15 mins before kick off

See you then….

19.00pm - Lineup out!

18.55pm - First time trying this!

So, this is the first time I am live blogging in-game. I’ll do updates around every 15 minutes at the most, sometimes sooner than that. So do check back in regularly.

It might be some commentary, a moment, an observation, an opinion, or simply analysis as well as video clips and images. I’ll have my player ratings out at full time.

Let’s GO CHELSEA!!!

Simon Phillips