Chelsea maintained their perfect UEFA Conference League record with a commanding 3-1 victory over Astana in freezing Kazakhstan conditions.
Enzo Maresca's youthful side all but secured their place in the last 16 with their fifth consecutive win in the competition.
The Blues defied temperatures of minus 10 in Almaty, where they fielded several academy graduates and handed multiple debuts to young players in an impressive display of squad rotation.
Marc Guiu, making only his seventh Chelsea start, proved to be the standout performer with two goals in quick succession.
Chelsea cruised into a three-goal lead against Astana
Reuters
The former Barcelona youngster opened the scoring after 14 minutes with an impressive solo effort, powering past defender Aleksandr Marochkin before prodding the ball inside the post.
Just four minutes later, Guiu doubled his tally when Pedro Neto's low cross was partially saved by goalkeeper Mukhammedzhan Seysen, with the ball ricocheting between Guiu and Marochkin before crossing the line.
Renato Veiga made it 3-0 before half-time with a simple header, capitalising on poor marking from the hosts.
The Portuguese midfielder connected with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's corner after leaping unmarked.
Astana managed to pull one back before the break through Croatian striker Marin Tomasov, who struck an impressive effort in off the post after slipping away from Veiga's attention.
Eighteen-year-old Tyrique George made his second senior start, while Harvey Vale made his first appearance since 2022.
The second half saw Chelsea ease off their intensity, though Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall came close to adding his second goal of the season with an effort that fizzed inches wide.
Renato Veiga scored his first Chelsea goal
Reuters
The match marked several significant debuts for Chelsea's academy graduates, with 18-year-old Josh Acheampong and 19-year-old Samuel Rak-Sakyi both making their first starts after progressing from the club's under-eight level.
Ato Ampah was introduced at half-time for his senior debut, while 17-year-old Shim Mheuka came on later to become the club's second-youngest European player after Dominic Solanke.
Maresca had left the majority of his first-team in London ahead of Sunday night's clash against Brentford in the Premier League.
