Chelsea 1-0 Dynamo Kiev LIVE: Pedro GOAL, Europa League score and updates

Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev: Europa League scores, goals and latest updates

CHELSEA 1-0 DYNAMO KIEV | PEDRO (16)

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Zappacosta, Christensen, Luiz, Alonso; Kovacic, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Willian

Dynamo Kiev XI: Boyko, Kedziora, Shabanov, Mykolenko, Shepeliev, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko, Buyalskiy, Tsygankov, Rusyn

• Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain on bench, Zappacosta starts

• Pedro makes the breakthrough after deft flick from Giroud

CHELSEA 1-0 DYNAMO KIEV

HT: Chelsea ahead, but it could have been 4-0 without the heroics of Dynamo Kiev goalkeeper Denys Boyko. Pedro opened the scoring but has spurned several good chances since.

45: Ouch! That’ll feature on the ‘What Happened Next’ round on a Question of Sport… Christensen and Kovacic challenge for the same loose ball before clashing heads.

Question of Sport is still a modern reference, right? Come to think of it – I don’t think I’ve watched it since Bill Beaumont was captain. When was that, ’96?

43: Vitaliy Buyalskyi will miss the return leg next week after rugby tackling Mateo Kovacic around the halfway line. I suspect he’ll now have to wait until next season to play European football again.

40: Are Chelsea going to pay for these missed chances? Looks unlikely with Kiev unable to break into their half. Still, Maurizio Sarri looks frustrated his side haven’t scored again.

38: Save! Pedro has to score after bringing David Luiz’s 50-yard pass under his spell. He takes a touch before Boyko closes down the angle to claw it away.

35: Well… Rusyn’s cross from the right flicks off Marcos Alonso’s arm inside the penalty area. The referee turns away but that didn’t look much different from Presnel Kimpembe’s against Manchester United yesterday.

33: Napoli vs Chelsea final anyone? You just know it’s going to happen. The stars are aligned I’m afraid.

30: Penalty appeal! Pedro twist, turns and plays another one-two with Olivier Giroud before hitting the deck after a nudge from Kedziora. Referee Slavko Vincic isn’t interested. Remember, no VAR in the Europa League.

28: There are two other Europa League fixtures being played. Napoli are 2-0 ahead against RB Salzburg, while Valencia are beating Krasnodar by the same scoreline.

25: I don’t know if this BT Sport commentator is on the wind-up – but his pronunciation of Giroud is infuriating. “Geeeroou,” is killing me!

22: Save! Olivier Giroud really does make this Chelsea side tick. He plays a sumptuous ball through to Ross Barkley, who fires low at Boyko from an acute angle.

19: Hmmmm. Not totally sure how Chelsea haven’t doubled their tally.

The marauding Davide Zappacosta delivers a cracking cross from the right that evades two Kyiv’s defenders before falling at the feet of Pedro. He should get his second but pokes it straight at Boyko.

CHELSEA 1-0 DYNAMO KIEV | PEDRO

16: Perfect start for Chelsea, who make the breakthrough with just under 16 minutes on the clock.

Maurizio Sarri’s side have been at it from the word GO and get their reward.

Pedro cuts inside and drives into the area. He plays a neat one-two with Olivier Giroud, who backheels it back to the Spaniard to tuck underneath goalkeeper Boyko.

14: GET WILLIAN OFF SET-PIECES! Professionals incapable of beating the first man from dead-ball situations is my number one pet-peeve in football. The Brazilian takes a corner and sinfully knocks it to the Kiev defender standing 10-yards away.

Second time in 18 minutes he’s done that. Rant over… for now!

13: Chelsea tested for the first time tonight with Dynamo Kiev winning a free-kick a few yards in from the right touchline. Excellent delivery from Buyalskiy but David Luiz clears. The Brazilian looks very happy indeed to be wearing the armband tonight.

11: Dynamo Kiev need to pack that in ASAP. They are trying to play out from the back and they are being dispossessed every single time. Ross Barkley pinches the latest but dribbles his way to the corner.

9:  Classic cheer as the linesman loses his balance. He avoided the ignominy of hitting the deck… but all eyes are on him for the remaining 81 minutes. Good luck, sir.

10: Booked! Shepeliev collects an early booking for a dangerous challenge on Davide Zappacosta.

It’s windy down there. The kind of wind that would have Jurgen Klopp spitting feathers. Willian crosses… cleared. Terrible delivery fails to beat the first man.

7: Chelsea have enjoyed a whopping 92 percent possession in the opening seven minutes. Kiev simply can’t get the ball off the hosts! Very bright start from the Blues.

4: The visitors have also scored in all 17 away fixtures they’ve played this season. Could be an interesting night at the Bridge.

Zappacosta is straight into the action having been recalled for his first start in over two months. He wins a corner down the right channel and Kiev just about hack it clear.

CHELSEA 0-0 DYNAMO KIEV

3: Half of Kiev’s side are fully-fledged Ukrainian internationals under former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko. They are also without their two prolific strikers – leaving 20-year-old Rusyn leading the line.

CHELSEA 0-0 DYNAMO KIEV

1: Sorry for the lack of build-up to tonight’s Europa League last-16 clash.

I was busy covering Arsenal’s self-destruction against Ligue 1 Rennes. They were nicely ticking along until a Sokratis dismissal sparked a vintage collapse.

Anyway, we’ve just kicked off in a packed-out Stamford Bridge. Always good attendances for this competition from Chelsea supporters. Good atmosphere too.

The line-ups

19:55: Below are the line-ups for tonight’s bout at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Zappacosta, Christensen, Luiz, Alonso; Kovacic, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Willian

Subs: Caballero, Rudiger, Kante, Hazard, Higuain, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi

Dynamo Kiev XI: Boyko, Kedziora, Shabanov, Mykolenko, Shepeliev, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko, Buyalskiy, Tsygankov, Rusyn.

Subs: Bushchan, Sidcley, Kadar, Garmash, Andriyevskiy, Smyrnyi, Tsitaishvili.

CHELSEA vs DYNAMO KIEV

Maurizio Sarri is contemplating rotating his squad for the first leg of Chelsea’s Europa League last-16 tie with Dynamo Kiev.

The Blues manager has no injury problems ahead of Thursday’s game at Stamford Bridge, with his full squad taking part in training on Wednesday.

Striker Olivier Giroud, who has scored six times in the competition this season, will hope for a recall, while Callum Hudson-Odoi could also be handed a start.

Chelsea provisional squad: Kepa, Caballero, Cumming, Rudiger, Christensen, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Emerson Palmieri, Alonso, Zappacosta, Ampadu, Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Hazard, Pedro, Higuain, Giroud.