In a convincing 4-1 win over Panathinaikos, Chelsea maintained their perfect start in the Conference League, with winger Mykhailo Mudryk showcasing his potential after a promising performance.
Despite the $88 million signing not featuring prominently in the Premier League under manager Enzo Maresca, he has now started to deliver in the Greek competition, scoring the second goal and setting up two for Joao Felix in a dominant display. The Ukrainian winger’s determination to break into the league has been exemplified by his bravery, with Maresca praising his efforts, saying “he’s struggled to arrive inside the box, now he’s started to. That’s where we’re going to score goals.”
Maresca has been working closely with the wingers, and his patience has clearly paid off, with Mudryk’s growth being a significant factor in Chelsea’s success. Felix, too, impressed, scoring twice and winning the penalty that led to Christopher Nkunku’s eighth goal of the season.
Despite making 11 changes to the side that lost to Liverpool, Chelsea’s squad showed little sign of fatigue, defying criticism that the switch might have exposed the team’s identity. Instead, the coach praised their ability to maintain their cohesive performance, emphasizing, “the most important thing is no matter how many players we change, you can see the identity of the team. The identity is quite clear.”
Mudryk, much like Felix, has shown potential, but Maresca is cautioning against expecting too much too soon. “We’re working with him and all the wingers. They need to arrive inside the box in the position where Misha scored. He’s struggled to arrive there, now he’s started to. That’s where we’re going to score goals.” The manager is optimistic about Mudryk’s future, saying, “I’m sure that slowly, slowly we’re going to arrive where he will score more goals and be more important for us.”
Panathinaikos manager Diego Alonso acknowledged his team’s downfall, attributing it to errors that let in goals. “We played a good game for 22 minutes, then we made an error and it led to the first goal. In the second half, we lost our concentration for 15 minutes, and this was enough to let in three goals. This happens when you play against a top team of the Premier League. When you commit an error, you pay hard.”
