Europa League wins for Chelsea, Milan, Arsenal, Sevilla
CHELSEA MAINTAINED their perfect start to the season when Brazil forward Willian scored in a 1-0 Europa League victory at PAOK Thessaloniki yesterday.
Two goals from Ever Banega and Wissam Ben Yedder led Sevilla, the most successful team in Europa League history, to a 5-1 thrashing of Standard Liege while Eintracht Frankfurt opened their campaign by upsetting Marseille 2-1.
Arsenal, with former Sevilla coach Unai Emery now in charge, defeated Ukraine’s Vorskla 4-2 thanks to a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and AC Milan edged past Dudelange of Luxembourg 1-0.
Sitting atop the Premier League with five wins from five games, Chelsea rested Eden Hazard after the Belgium playmaker registered a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Cardiff on Saturday.
Two Chelsea supporters were injured in an attack by suspected local fans shortly before dawn. Police said the two Englishmen were beaten by three assailants in central Thessaloniki.
WILLIAN LIFTS CHELSEA
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri made five changes to his starting line-up against PAOK, and his dominant team should have scored a hatful of goals.
The out-of-form Alvaro Morata wasted several chances after captain Willian had finished off a speedy counter-attack in the seventh minute following good work from Ross Barkley.
“We played very well, were in control of the match, and it would have been difficult for anybody to play against us this evening,” Sarri said.
AUBAMEYANG’S ARSENAL JOY
Aubameyang opened the scoring for Arsenal against Vorskla in the 32nd minute when he converted an Alex Iwobi cross.
Danny Welbeck headed in a cross from Henrikh Mkhitaryan before Aubameyang made it 3-0 with a precise shot from outside the area.
Substitute Mesut Ozil added the fourth goal from close range, but Vorskla reduced the arrears thanks to captain Volodymyr Chesnakov and Vyacheslav Sharpar.
SELECTED RESULTS: Olympiakos 0 Betis 0; Marseille 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 2; Lazio 2 Apollon 1; Villarreal 2 Rangers 2; Akhisar Genclik 0 Krasnodar 1; Besiktas 3 Sarpsborg 1; Dynamo Kiev 2 Astana 2; Kenk 2 Malmo 0; Lazio 2 Apollon 1; MOL Vidi 0 Bate 2; Rapid Vienna 2 Spartak Moscow 0; Rennes 2 Jablonec 1; Dudelange 0 AC Milan 1; Ludogrets 2 Beyer Leverkusen 3; RB Leipzig 2 Salzburg 3; Sporting 2 Qarabag 0; Celtic 1 Rosenburg 0.