Chelsea reach Conference League final with 5 1 aggregate win

LONDON – Favourites Chelsea, fielding a second-string team, cantered into the Europa Conference League final with a routine 1-0 second-leg win over Swedish side Djurgarden on May 8 for a 5-1 aggregate victory.

Their 38th-minute goal came from one of the more senior players on the pitch, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, 26, who received a neat pass from Tyrique George, rounded two defenders and fired home with his left foot.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, in his first season in charge, said winning a third European club competition could be the start of better things.

He said: “It is very important because we can give the chance to this club and these fans to be the first club in Europe to win the three (current Uefa) competitions.”

Chelsea, having won the Champions League and Europa League twice, will face a stiff challenge from Spain’s Real Betis in their bid to win a first Conference League title. Betis drew 2-2 at Fiorentina in extra time to progress 4-3 on aggregate to the May 28 final in Wroclaw, Poland.

Maresca knows Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini well, having played under the Chilean at Malaga and worked with him in management at West Ham United.

“I was his assistant coach for two years, so I know how he thinks towards players,” the Italian said. “Personally, I tried to learn a lot from him.”

With Chelsea 4-1 up from the first leg and involved in the Premier League scrap for Champions League spots, Maresca fielded a youthful team, including giving a first start to forward Reggie Walsh, 16.

The result was a less-than-fluent display, but the gulf in quality was evident and the Blues never lost control of the game.

Djurgarden’s vocal travelling support kept up their constant chanting but were rewarded with few chances, the best coming