Chelsea 3-0 Malmo: 5 Things we learnt from the Blues' Europa League win

After being rattled by both the Manchester clubs, it was high time Sarri's Chelsea replied to all the critics and the boos from the fans through a solid performance on the pitch. And what better than progressing in their Europa League campaign, which seems the only hope now to put a bright spot on a dark season for the Londoners.

After a 2-1 win away from home against Swedish club Malmo FF, it was evident that the second leg last night was going to be a cakewalk for the Blues, but it was a matter of earning back the loyalty from the supporters after falling to embarrassing defeats to Manchester City and Manchester United.

Goals from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi, all of them coming in the second half sealed Malmo's Europa League season who were reduced to 10 men after defender Rasmus Bengtsson was shown a second yellow for his challenge on Emerson. This might have just given Maurizio Sarri a glimmer of hope for Chelsea's EFL Cup Final against Manchester City on Sunday.

Let's look at the top 5 things we learnt from the win last night!

#1 Chelsea might have just finally found its perfect back four

Chelsea v Malmo FF - UEFA Europa League Round of 32: Second Leg

The whole footballing world knows that Chelsea's biggest problem right now is its defence. All these years, even though Chelsea had bad seasons, they were due to mainly offensive problems like not having a perfect striker. But since the departure of John Terry and the downfall of Gary Cahill, Chelsea's defence just seems to be in shambles.

Last night probably was one of the best matches Chelsea had this season if we talk about their defence. Not to argue that the opposition was a weaker one and also there were times when the back four struggled in aerial duels, but they managed to keep a clean sheet at the end of the game.

The two big changes Sarri made to the back four were Andreas Christensen coming in for David Luiz and Emerson coming in for Marcos Alonso. This was totally a tactical move from Sarri for resting David Luiz and Alonso, but Christensen and Emerson might have just given Sarri scratching his head due to their excellent display.

Christensen is better than David Luiz on one on one situations as well as the Danish defender is still very young to grow to his best at the Stamford Bridge. Whereas Emerson is certainly faster than Alonso on the wing.

Sarri should consider giving this back four set-up a chance in the upcoming Premier League games.

#2 Ross Barkley did everything Jorginho doesn't in his role last night

Jorginho was dropped by Maurizio Sarri, and the mantle was passed on to Ross Barkley to control the midfield from the central position last night. And the Englishman absolutely did not disappoint.

Barkley was strong and dominant in the central midfield role. It is true that he is still not the best at controlling the tempo of the game, which Jorginho does best, but certainly, he is an upgrade over Jorginho in some areas.

Barkley not only played his part in being additional support to Chelsea's back four during the Malmo counter attacks, but he exceptionally played as a box to box midfielder by being a support to the Chelsea attack as well.

He took the perfect opportunity to earn Sarri's respect by scoring from a free kick after Malmo defender Bengtsson was sent off for his challenge on Emerson on the edge of the box. It was a great technique from the Englishman as keeper Dahlin didn't even move when the free kick hit the net.

It's high time Ross Barkley becomes a regular first team name at Chelsea Football Club.

#3 Olivier Giroud is still the best striker Chelsea has until they get a perfect striker in the next season

Chelsea might have secured the signing of Gonzalo Higuain from AC Milan in the last transfer window, but since his arrival, everyone has doubted his capabilities due to his recent form at Milan, as well as his age factor.

Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud still keeps impressing on whatever few chances Maurizio Sarri gives him, either in Europa League fixtures or against smaller Premier League oppositions.

What the Frenchman does best, is not just his occasional goals but his excellent support to the attacking midfielders. Eden Hazard once had claimed that Giroud is one of the best strikers to play alongside and it doesn't seem any truer, thanks to Giroud's consistency.

Olivier Giroud opened the scoring in the 55th minute last night after a pacy counter-attack by Chelsea which resulted in a burst of pace from Kante, a perfect cross from Willian and an easy tap in by Giroud.

Apart from the goal which probably set the tone of the Chelsea win, Giroud was highly involved defensively too.

Until Chelsea finds a long term explosive striker to meet their needs in the Premier League, Giroud is still the best option Chelsea has.

#4 Willian is the backbone of the Chelsea attack

Eden Hazard is usually rested for the Europa League games, while Pedro still competes for his position in the first team. This makes Brazilian winger Willian the only attacking player in the Chelsea team to play most of the matches in all sorts of competitions.

Willian is exceptional due to his pace and sprinting abilities, and this was on display last night in London when the Brazilian created the most chances on the pitch for Chelsea. He did not manage to score but assisted 2 of the 3 goals Chelsea scored, the third goal being a free kick from Barkley.

Willian has been the backbone of the Chelsea attack for a few seasons now, and is the only attacking player to have consistently performed under every manager Chelsea has had in the last 5 years.

The Brazilian midfielder is 30 years old now and when he starts to lose his pace due to his ageing, it is surely going to be a huge blow to the Chelsea lineup unless they find a potential replacement.

#5 Callum Hudson-Odoi needs to play more in the first team

The fact that Bavarian giants Bayern Munich almost emptied their pockets for the English winger speaks a lot about Hudson-Odoi's capability.

Despite this being an evident fact and Chelsea managing to convince Hudson-Odoi to stay at Stamford Bridge, Maurizio Sarri doesn't seem very impressed by the youngster to give him a chance in the Chelsea first team in the Premier League.

Last night Hudson-Odoi was termed the man of the match after scoring the last goal in the game and having an overall rating of 9.1 for the Londoners. Another astonishing fact was that he had a pass success rate of 89%.

The young Englishman playing with ease for all of the 90 minutes definitely doesn't give Sarri any chance of speaking against the player's capability in the Press, of not being ready to play for the whole game in the Premier League.

If Hazard is to leave at the end of this season, definitely a replacement might be needed. But the funds from the transfer might just be redirected for getting an explosive striker and developing Hudson-Odoi in Hazard's role.

Edited by Ben Roberts