Blues hit the big numbers with Zappacosta’s help

STERNER tests await Chelsea in Europe but they made a winning return to the big stage and may have discovered a new cult hero. Davide Zappacosta marked his home debut with an outrageous fluked goal that lifted Stamford Bridge and sank Qarabag. Never mind Diego Costa, still AWOL, presumed to be in Brazil. All hail Zappacosta with his striking surname and apparent mastery of the cleverly-disguised cross. His goal was the second of the night. Pedro Rodriguez

had already soothed Antonio Conte’s nerves with a fifthminute opener and Cesar Azpilicueta nodded in the third after the interval. Tiemoue Bakayoko, on as a substitute, scored his first Chelsea goal with the help of a deflection and Michy Batshuayi made it 6-0 with two late strikes. More importantly for Conte, here was a fourth successive victory since the opening Premier League defeat by Burnley. He knew there were risks involved resting five players against a team with nothing to lose on their Champions League debut. With Atletico Madrid and Roma to come, there could be no cheap points surrendered at this stage. Qarabag keeper Ibrahim Sehic began a busy shift with saves from Marcos Alonso and Batshuayi before he was beaten for the first time by Pedro, who swept a first-time strike inside the post. Zappacosta then made his big impression. The Italian strode across the halfway line, shrugging off two challenges as he went. He glanced up to consider his options and then caught out Sehic with a mishit cross which swerved over his head and into the net. Azpilicueta celebrated his first Champions League goal with a simple header. Willian rolled a free-kick short to Cesc Fabregas, whose clipped pass was nodded past Sehic from eight yards. Willian rattled the bar with a dipping shot and Bakayoko made it four, courtesy of a cross by Eden Hazard, before Batshuayi scored twice to make it a grand total of six. Fabregas said afterwards: ‘It’s a good performance, a good result. We are getting back to our best.’