UEFA Europa League
Result: BATE Borisov 0-1 Chelsea
Date: 08 November 2018
Venue: Borisov Arena
Chelsea secured a spot in the knockout stage of the UEFA Europa League after defeating BATE Borisov 1-0 thanks to Olivier Giroud's second-half strike.
Eden Hazard was handed a start alongside Olivier Giroud and Pedro in the attack for the Blues, while Andreas Christensen and Gary Cahill returned to the line up.
The hosts nearly took a surprising lead after just nine minutes when Dzmitry Baga rattled the upright with a powerful strike from close range.
From then on, the Premier League outfit dominated all the possession for most of the half although they were unable to mount any serious attempts at the BATE goal.
After spells of frustration without creating chances, the Blues went close from a dead-ball situation when Hazard's corner found Giroud, who headed over the target four minutes before the break.
Seven minutes into the half, the deadlock was broken as Emerson's cross found Giroud, who sent a header into the back of the net to hand Chelsea the lead.
Maurizio Sarri then opted for a double change as Mateo Kovavic and Willian replaced Ruben-Loftus Cheek and Hazard for the final 25 minutes.
The Blues nearly doubled their advantage after 74 minutes but Ross Barkley saw his close-range header blocked, before Jorginho fired over the crossbar from the rebound.
The hosts showed a little fight in the closing stages of the second half, but the Blues were resolute at the back and held for victory to secure their spot in the knockout phase.
Other results:
Fernerbahce 2-0 Anderlecht Astana 2-1 Jablonec 
