Roma vs. Chelsea - 31 October 2017

Minute		Description
90' +2		That's the full-time whistle!
90'		There will be a minimum of two minutes of added time played here.
87'		L. Pellegrini enters the game and replaces D. Perotti.
87'		Here is the third and final Roma change of the evening, with Diego Perotti coming off and he has been replaced by Lorenzo Pellegrini.
84'		STAT: The reverse encounter was the first time that a team managed by Antonio Conte had conceded three goals in a Champions League game. Now Chelsea have conceded three in both fixtures against Roma.
82'		Not long to go now at the Stadio Olimpico and it looks like Roma are going to cruise to a convincing victory here, which will take them top of Group C with eight points. Chelsea will drop down to second on seven points, Atletico third on three points and Qarabag bottom with two.
79'		GREAT SAVE! Manolas thought he had scored the fourth Roma goal! The substitute rose highest to a cross from Nainggolan and powered a header at goal, but Courtois made a superb stop from close range. Manolas even shakes Courtois' hand afterwards.
78'		Still not much urgency about Chelsea, despite being three-nil down here. They are trying to get forward but they aren't creating anything and Roma are more than comfortable. In fact, they look far more dangerous going forward and are looking for more goals to really pull off an emphatic result.
76'		K. Manolas enters the game and replaces A. Florenzi.
76'		Roma make a second change, with Alessandro Florenzi being replaced by Konstantinos Manolas.
75'		Gerson enters the game and replaces S. El Shaarawy.
		M. Batshuayi enters the game and replaces Álvaro Morata.
		Roma make their first substitution of the game, the scorer of the opening two goals is off, Stephan El Shaarawy is replaced by Gerson.
		Chelsea make their third and final substitution of the evening, Morata is replaced by Michy Batshuayi.
73'		Another chance gifted to Roma by Chelsea. This time it is Bakayoko who is too slow in passing the ball and he is caught out, Dzeko then runs at goal and fires a shot at goal from a tight angle, but it goes well wide. Another decent opportunity, but one that should have been prevented by the Blues.

Minute		Description
71'		D. Drinkwater enters the game and replaces Cesc Fàbregas.
71'		Chelsea make another change, Fàbregas is the man coming off and on in his place for his Chelsea Champions League debut, is Danny Drinkwater.
68'		ALMOST A FOURTH! It almost got even worse for Chelsea, as Perotti had a wonderful chance to make it four-nil here! Dzeko was fed through on goal but he was quickly put under pressure by the Chelsea defence and seemingly the danger is over. However, the striker was allowed to turn and then play a pass to the on-rushing Perotti who was in acres of space, but he couldn't keep his shot down and it goes high over the bar. More sloppy defending by Chelsea, but excellent by Roma.
66'		It's a long way back now for Chelsea and it will be very difficult to see them getting back into the game, after such a poor performance tonight. They have been far too sloppy and careless in possession.
63'		D. Perotti has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by A. Kolarov.
		Fabregas with the mistake in midfield to hand the ball straight to Kolarov, who plays a simple pass to Perotti who skips inside, befpre unleashing an unstoppable strike into the back of the net.
		GOOOAAALLL! ROMA THREE-NIL! That is surely the game wrapped up now and it is a stunning strike by Perotti from long range, powered past Courtois who stood no chance of saving it. Fabregas lost the ball in midfield and it allowed Roma to counter, Perotti taking full advantage, cutting inside and after not being put under any pressure, he fires the ball straight into the back of the net. Surely Chelsea can’t come back from this?
62'		As we enter the final half an hour of the game here at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma look more than comfortable here and more dangerous going forward, as Chelsea have failed to convince with their defending so far here tonight.
60'		STAT: Chelsea have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League 13 times in their previous 14 appearances.
58'		Atletico have now levelled against Qarabag in the other game in Group C, to make the table look very interesting and all to play for.
57'		CHANCE CHELSEA! Morata drills his low shot just inches wide of the post after a nice turn on the edge of the box. A good effort by the Chelsea striker, especially with the amount of Roma defenders around him, who were quick to pile on the pressure.
56'		Willian enters the game and replaces G. Cahill.
56'		Chelsea make their first substitution of the game and it certainly is an attacking change! Gary Cahill is the man coming off and he has been replaced by Willian.
54'		CLOSE ROMA! Dzeko with an excellent opportunity to make it three-nil here. It was quick and fluent football from Roma on the edge of the box, with the front three linking up very well. El Shaarawy played the ball to Dzeko who fired a powerful shot at goal but it went high over the bar, with Courtois looking worried.
52'		STAT: Edin Dzeko terrorised the Chelsea defence at Stamford Bridge, netting two goals to give the visiting Roma side the lead. The former Manchester City man has netted an impressive ten goals in his 13 competitive games this season.
50'		Chelsea haven't really got into the second half. Roma have been playing on the front foot, forcing the visitors back into their own half, which continues a similar scene from the opening 45 minutes.
48'		No changes at the break for either side. The only good news for Chelsea is that Qarabag are beating Atletico Madrid, which means that Chelsea will likely be competing with Roma for the top two spots in Group C.
46'		The second half is underway!
45'		That's the half-time whistle!
44'		CHANCES CHELSEA! First Alonso forces Alisson into making another good save from the edge of the area, the resulting corner is then whipped into the penalty area and Bakayoko rises highest in the middle and looks like he is certain to score, but he nods his header just inches wide. He really should've done better there.
42'		There's been a goal in the other game in the group and it's Qarabag who lead Atletico Madrid in Spain. Qarabag are now third in Group C, with Atletico at the bottom of the group.
41'		Azpilicueta appears to be struggling with an injury at the moment and he may not be able to continue, with Zappacosta warming up down the touch-line as a potential replacement.
39'		Chelsea now have to do what Roma did in the reverse fixture and come from 2-0 down to get anything from this game. They will need to improve a lot in the second half if that is going to happen here tonight, as the Italian side are well on top.
36'		S. El Shaarawy has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by R. Nainggolan.
		It was an excellent ball from Nainggolan, but it looked fairly straight forward for the Chelsea defence to deal with, but they make a mess of it and Roma punish them.
		GOOOAAALLL! ROMA DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! It’s another for El Shaarawy and it is an absolute gift for the Italian side after more poor defending by Chelsea. It was a delightful ball over the top of the Chelsea defence by Nainggolan and Rudiger completely misjudges the flight of the ball, tries to leave it to his keeper who is left in no man’s land, as El Shaarawy takes advantage to nip the ball past both players and slot the ball into an empty net.
35'		CHANCE ROMA! El Shaarawy with a great opportunity to score again tonight. David Luiz was sloppy in possession in the middle of the pitch and it allowed Dzeko to nick the ball and break forward, creating a three v two situation. The former Man City striker charged at goal and then laid it off to El Shaarawy who was in a much better position to his right, but his low shot was well saved by Thibaut Courtois. Let off for Chelsea.
34'		Not too many chances in the last few minutes here, with Roma doing well to slow the pace of the game and stop any momentum that Chelsea are trying to create.
32'		Hazard looks to have recovered from the tackle by Florenzi, the winger is back on his feet and looks fine to continue. The Belgian has by far been Chelsea's best player so far here tonight and they will need his creativity if they are to work an equalising goal.
30'		We're past the half hour mark here at the Stadio Olimpico and the score remains one-nil to Roma, but Chelsea have had a few chances through Hazard and Morata and will fancy themselves to grab an equaliser before the half-time whistle. Roma sit top of Group C as it stands at the moment.
28'		Hazard is down inside the Roma penalty area and he looks in a fair bit of pain here. The Belgian tried to dribble his way into the box but seems to trip under the pressure from Florenzi right on the edge of the box. Looking at the replay, it appears the right-back may have gotten away with that on the Chelsea man, with the referee giving nothing.
25'		WHAT A CHANCE! Morata should have scored to make the score level! Pedro blocks a clearance in the right corner after some sloppy Roma defending, the ball rebounds into the middle for Morata and he only has the keeper to beat. However, Alisson is quick off his line to put the striker under pressure, but the Spaniard still should finish from just 10 yards out, instead he fires his shot way over the crossbar.
24'		Another Hazard chance! The Belgian is creating everything good for Chelsea here tonight, he turns on the edge of the box and fires another well-struck sho at goal, but once again it's straight at Alisson. Prior to tonights game, Hazard had created more goalscoring chances than anybody else this season in the Champions League, with 13.
22'		Both sides look vulnerable on the counter-attack here tonight, with both failing to deal with the pace of their opponents attackers.
20'		Good chance! Excellent play by Hazard on the edge of the box, he beat a couple of Roma defenders and worked space for the shot at goal. However, his low shot at goal was too close to Alisson and the Roma goalkeeper made a good save to deny the Chelsea man.
18'		This is better from Chelsea, they are starting to enjoy a few spells of sustained possession in the Roma half but they are struggling to carve out anything substantial, with Morata so far unable to influence the game. The biggest Blues threats are coming from Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta from the wing-backs positions.
16'		STAT: Away from Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have seen 17 goals and kept just two clean sheets in their six outings, with five of these six games having at least three goals scored in total.
13'		Chelsea are looking to release Alvaro Morata and Hazard over the top of the Roma defence, or feed the ball through and they try and put pressure on Roma in their own half. The pace of the game has certainly dropped now, compared to the opening couple of minutes but it is still end-to-end.
11'		El Shaarawy's strike tonight is the fastest goal scored in the Champions League so far this season. The Italian side couldn't have wished for a better start to tonights game and they are top at the moment and look more dangerous in the final third.
9'		Roma continue to press and put Chelsea under pressure here with their lively start to the game, the Premier League champions don't look overly comfortable at the back at the moment. Radja Nainggolan tries his luck from long-range, but his effort is wild and goes high and wide over the Chelsea goal.
7'		Chelsea have endured a five-game winless streak on the road against Italian clubs in the Champions League, drawing one and losing four. The Blues conceding at least two goals on each of those occasions.
4'		CHANCE CHELSEA! The visitors are in for the second time inside the opening five minutes as Cesc Fabregas clips over the top for Edin Hazard. He gets away but can't finish as his shot from a tight angle is straight at the Alisson, after good pressure by Alessandro Florenzi who did superbly to track back.
3'		This has been a terrific start to the game by both sides, there is an electric place to the match and we could see plenty of goals and entertaining football tonight.
1'		S. El Shaarawy has scored a goal for Roma! Assist by E. Džeko.
		We're underway!
		EARLY CHANCE! Pedro should've done better with a chance within the first 30 seconds of the game! Chelsea stormed up the pitch straight away and Pedro skipped through the Roma defence but he appears to trip as he goes to strike at goal and Alisson easily gathers his tame effort.
		GOOOAAALLL! ROMA LEAD! After just 38 seconds we have our first goal of the game! Stephan El Shaarawy with a beautiful strike on the volley from the edge of the area. A long ball came forward and was chested by Edin Dzeko to his teammate, with Chelsea players appealing for handball. However, the referee didn't see anything wrong with the touch, as it fell perfectly for El Shaarawy who sweetly struck the ball into the top left-hand corner.
		A few appeals by Chelsea players, that Džeko handled the ball but the officials thought otherwise. He flicks down to the edge of the box where El Shaarawy comes running in and drills a first-time shot into the back of the net. Great finish.
		Good evening and welcome to our LIVE match commentary of the Group C Champions League clash between Roma and Chelsea.
		The Blues head to the Stadio Olimpico tonight, leading Group C ahead of their opponents and a victory would clinch qualification to the next stage, but a defeat to the Italian side would see the pair change places.
		Antonio Conte’s men played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Eusebio di Francesco’s team at Stamford Bridge, and it could be another exciting night in Rome.
		After a run of three matches without a win, Chelsea have got back on track with three victories in a row. However, back-to-back Premier League titles may be a big ask for the Blues, with Manchester City already nine points clear of them at the top of the table.
		They are performing better in the Champions League, with Atletico Madrid struggling so far, both sides look well placed to qualify for the knockout rounds, but victory would go a long way towards assuring top spot.
		Roma are on a good run of form themselves, they have beaten Torino, Crotone, and Bologna 1-0 in Serie A, and will be looking for their fourth consecutive win on Tuesday to move top of the group.
		Chelsea will be without Victor Moses but N’Golo Kante could return from injury. Danny Drinkwater is back available after injury, so Conte has plenty of options to choose from. Meanwhile for Roma, defender Kostas Manolas is a doubt due to a thigh strain. Bruno Peres and Rick Karsdorp are ruled out and Roma may also be without Gregoire Defrel, who came off in the win over Bologna at the weekend.
		ROMA SUBS: Skorupski, Moreno, Manolas, Pellegrini, Under, Gonalons, Gerson
		ROMA (4-3-3): Alisson (GK); Florenzi, Juan, Fazio, Kolarov; Nainggolan, Strootman, De Rossi (c); Perotti, Dzeko, El Shaarawy
		The confirmed team news is in, here is how the two sides line-up tonight...
		CHELSEA SUBS: Caballero, Christensen, Zappacosta, Kenedy, Drinkwater, Willian, Batshuayi
		CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Courtois (GK); Rudiger, David Luiz, Cahill (c); Azpilicueta, Bakayoko, Fabregas, Alonso; Pedro, Hazard; Morata
		TEAM NEWS: Kante misses out for Chelsea, with Conte making just one change from the team that beat Bournemouth, as Cahill comes in for Zappacosta to captain the Blues. Meanwhile, Roma make a few changes from the reverse fixture between the two sides a few weeks ago, as Florenzi, De Rossi and El Shaarawy all start.
		The teams are out here and kick-off is just minutes away! Stay tuned for all of the match action.
		HALF-TIME: ROMA 2-0 CHELSEA
		FULL-TIME: ROMA 3-0 CHELSEA
		That's all from us tonight folks, we hope you enjoyed the game!
		Roma move top of Group C with a terrific performance tonight to beat Chelsea 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. Stephan El Shaarawy opening the scoring after just 38 seconds, then sloppy defending by the Blues allowed El Shaarawy to double his tally and make it two-nil at the break. Chelsea failed to improve in the second half, with Roma continuing to dominate and look dangerous everytime they ventured forward. Roma were rewarded with a third goal late on, as Diego Perotti’s stunning strike wrapped up the win. Not the result Chelsea were hoping for, as they could’ve secured qualification here tonight.
		An excellent first-half performance by Roma who got off to the best possible start, with El Shaarawy opening the scoring after just 38 seconds at the Stadio Olimpico. Both teams have had plenty of chances to score in this high-paced game which has been end-to-end, but Chelsea have been denied by Alisson in the Roma goal. El Shaarawy then punished some poor Chelsea defending to double the Italian sides lead later on, and they hold a two-nil advantage at the break.

More…

#	Team	MP	D	P
3	Juventus	33	+21	64
4	Bologna	33	+22	62
5	Roma	33	+20	58
6	Atalanta	32	+22	54
7	Lazio	33	+7	52

#	Team	MP	D	P
7	Newcastle United	33	+15	50
8	West Ham United	34	-9	48
9	Chelsea	32	+4	47
10	AFC Bournemouth	34	-11	45
11	Brighton & Hov…	33	-2	44

Roma vs. Chelsea 3 - 0

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