The result of the Chelsea and Rennes match: Timo Werner makes the French team pay the penalty kick after the arbitration controversy

Chelsea came close to qualifying in Group E in the UEFA Champions League, with Timo Werner scoring two penalties in a 3–0 win over Rennes 10 men.

Werner won his first penalty kick on his own in the ninth minute, following a foul by Dalbert, but there was more controversy in the second, with Reign’s defender being awarded a second yellow card after Tammy Abraham’s point deviated from his leg and arm.

Dalbert’s dismissal effectively ended the match as a contest, but Tami Abraham added a flare to the score in the 50th minute, turning Reese James’ low cross from the right.

Check out the key talking points below.

Lampard’s depth looks more attractive than ever

It was hard to imagine that the best part of the $ 170 million in high-quality attacking talent was not available to Frank Lampard when he was able to populate a quartet of Sage Ziech, Mason Mount, Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham. Help should have been needed, then World Cup winner Olivier Giroud and extraordinary young winger Callum Hudson-Odoi seated on the bench.

Not that comfortable victory for the Blues from the moment Timo Werner hit his penalty kick, which he won for himself in the 10th minute. Thanks to Lampard’s deep line-up of offensive options, many of these players looked impressively refreshing.Chelsea took their time to work on Ziyech’s initially XI with a knee injury but he really plays like someone with several months of experience with that system.

Werner reached seven goals from 11 matches, a figure that was usefully inflated with two penalties to match the goal he scored against Krasnodar a week earlier. However, he now has six goals and two assists from his last six matches, and he looks more confident than ever at Chelsea, as he represents a team that looks like it might be about to leave its growing pains early in the season.

The harsh facts of handball referee

Do you want consistency or common sense? Soccer legislators have gravitated towards the second in recent years, and unfortunately for Dalbert, that meant that when the ball deviated from his leg to his arm, which he raised as part of his defensive move, there was a strong possibility that he was going. He should be punished.

There is an alternative, we trust the referees to judge whether he is a defender Intend To use his hand in the box, but this would inevitably lead to controversy about inconsistency with critics highlighting one incident in which a penalty was imposed and a similar incident that was not.

This does not change the fact that there is something that seems inherently unfair at moments like Chelsea’s second penalty kick. With the ball bounced off his leg and onto his arm, Rain found himself another goal down below and was denied by one man. The game actually ended due to a strange anomaly. Undoubtedly, the rule as it is risks more harsh punishment for defenders but it is uniformly harsh and this is probably the best the sport can hope for.

Defensive improvements are more realistic than ever

Seven matches in Edward Mindy’s career with Chelsea he has six clean sheets to his name. What was remarkable tonight was how little he had to do to keep this impressive record as Rain scored only twice on target, none of them on target before halftime. The goalkeeper had nothing to do until the 71st minute, when he was saved sharply by Jeremy Ducu and soon followed by a better rebound than Clement Grenier.

It goes without saying that the best goalkeepers still demonstrate their quality on nights when they are largely unnecessary, but Mindy has no control over the few shots he faces.

The Blues have now played more than six hours of football without conceding, and the credit should go to those at the top of the field. Against Reign, Chelsea pressed loudly and carefully, this was not an arrogant strategy designed to win the ball close to the goal but to ensure that their hosts had to work hard to advance on the field. Dazzled Abraham as the first line of defense, a role he had barely excelled in before this season.

Whether it was a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 defense, there was a more distinct form and structure across the Chelsea side and that, like the additions of Mindy and Thiago Silva, is behind this rapid change in goals against the column.

Notable performances

Curt Zuma: Mendy and Silva are largely credited with Chelsea’s defensive improvements, but the Frenchman impressed him alongside his veteran central defense partner. He plays the ball well, always wins his head and looks more balanced. Evaluation: 7

Damian da Silva: On a stressful night for Rain, the 32-year-old did everything he could be asked of and much more to keep the score respectable to ten men. And most impressive of all was the flick he did to get the ball off Werner’s feet when the German hat-trick signaled. Evaluation: 6

Tammy Abraham: The 23-year-old scored his first goal since late September and stood out at Stamford Bridge, particularly when he burst into the near post to hit the excellent Reese James cross. Evaluation: 7

next one

Chelsea host Sheffield United on Saturday in the Premier League while Rennes travels to Paris Saint-Germain. The two meet again at Stade Roazhon on November 24.