Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte kept faith with Victor Moses for 90 minutes as the Nigerian endured a tough night in his first Champions League outing for the Blues on Wednesday.
Moses, 26, kept out new boy Davide Zappacosta from the starting lineup on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League.
Chelsea invaded and conquered Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, defeating Atletico Madrid 2-1 to maintain their 100 percent record in the competition this season.
Pretty much restricted to a talented Atletico Madrid forward line, Moses was very busy in his defensive duties and had very few chances to make forward incursions.
On the only occasion when he sounded out Atleti’s Jan Oblak, the wing back pulled a shot from 25 yards out.
But he couldn’t keep his effort on target as Chelsea eventually fought from behind to snatch a 2-1 win.
The Nigeria International contributed to Chelsea’s resolute defending and notched an 83 percent pass success from the 23 he managed on a difficult night.
After the game, the player tweeted:
What a win! We stuck together! Brothers 👊🏿 #CFC
What a win! We stuck together! Brothers 👊🏿 #CFC pic.twitter.com/B4k0NLR2HO
— Victor Moses (@VictorMoses) September 27, 2017
Chelsea’s winner came after Tiemoue Bakayoko made a great flick pass to Alonso inside the area, and the defender sent the ball back toward the unmarked Batshuayi for his easy shot into the net. The Belgium forward had been sent on in the 82nd minute.
The referee blew the final whistle as Chelsea players were still celebrating.
“Michy scores every time he’s on the field,” said Eden Hazard, who played superbly for Chelsea in midfield. “He can score every time. I’m so happy for him.”
Griezmann had opened the scoring in the 40th minute by hitting the middle of the net from the penalty spot after Chelsea defender David Luiz pulled Atletico defender Lucas Hernandez by the jersey inside the area.
Morata, the Spain international who played for Real Madrid last season, scored his seventh goal of the season with Chelsea with a header into the far corner after a cross by Hazard in the 60th.
Morata, who was loudly jeered by the Atletico fans, had debuted with Chelsea with six goals in the first six Premier League games.
“It was very special to score,” Morata said. “Today was a very important test for us.”
The result ended Atletico’s 11-game unbeaten streak at home in the Champions League.
Striker Diego Costa, who just transferred from Chelsea to Atletico, was in the tribunes at the Metropolitano. He will be eligible to play for Atletico in January.
Atletico travels to Azerbaijan to play against Qarabag in the next round on Oct. 18, while Chelsea hosts Roma.
