Chelsea qualified directly for the Champions League round of 16 as they earned a superb 3-2 win at Napoli.
They took an early lead through Enzo Fernandez’s penalty but trailed at the break following Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund goals for the hosts.
But Chelsea improved after the interval and won the game courtesy of two fine strikes from Joao Pedro as they avoided an unwanted extra two-legged play-off round.
Dom Smith was on hand to rate the Chelsea players’ performances...
Made one good save to deny Giovanni Di Lorenzo with his feet but conceded twice and a crucial stop in stoppage time to save Chelsea’s three points.
Reece James 7
Produced one important recovery run to deny Napoli a breakaway one-on-one early on and was important as they held on for a huge victory.
Wesley Fofana 4
Was beaten far too easily by both Napoli goalscorers on a difficult night for the Frenchman.
Marc Cucurella 6
Good at pressing but part of a Chelsea defence that did have difficulty containing Napoli.
Malo Gusto 5
Given a runaround by pacey Napoli but made a couple of important tackles and one good clearance as Chelsea sought to deal with the hosts’ threat.
Moises Caicedo 7
So composed in the middle of the park for Chelsea, where he partnered Andrey Santos initially and then Enzo Fernandez.
Andrey Santos 6
Some decent passes but on the pitch for a 59-minute period when Napoli won the midfield battle for long periods.
Enzo Fernandez 7
Started to grow into the game in the second half as Napoli tired, long after he had given Chelsea the lead with an excellent penalty.
Pedro Neto 5
Did not offer a huge amount before being replaced at half-time in favour of Cole Palmer.
Estevao 5
Was largely shackled by Napoli in the 74 minutes he played before being brought off.
Joao Pedro 9
Scored a screamer to level the match and then won it with an extremely composed finish. His best performance since the Club World Cup, and possibly his outright best at Chelsea.
Subs:
Cole Palmer (Neto, 46’) 7
Had very little influence initally after coming on but was decisive in assisting both Joao Pedro goals.
Trevoh Chalobah (Gusto, 59’) 6
Made a crucial block to cut out a dangerous-looking Napoli cross shortly after coming on.
Jamie Gittens (Santos, 59’) 4
Brought on to give a different option and fresh legs but was then taken off himself in the 90th minute as Rosenior sought to hold on by bringing Benoit Badiashile on.
Alejandro Garnacho (Estevao, 74’) 5
Very little impact and nearly cost his side the three points when losing the ball and presenting Napoli an injury-time chance.
Benoit Badiashile (Gittens, 90’) N/A
Not used: Jorgensen, Merrick, Hato, Acheampong, George, Delap, Guiu
