Helped by the referee, Chelsea cruise to 2-0 win over Milan at San Siro tonight

By Football Reporter

Chelsea have taken a giant step towards securing qualification to the knockout stage of the Champions League after an emphatic 2-0 win over AC Milan at San Siro.

Jorginho gave the Blues the lead with a 21st minute penalty before Pierre Emerick Aubameyang took the game away from 10-man Milan with a clinical finish.

Graham Potter and his players must have pinched themselves when Fikayo Tomori was shown a straight red card after bringing Mason Mount down in the penalty area.

The controversial decision was met with disbelief as Geran referee Daniel Siebert deemed the foul the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

But things kept conspiring against Milan and, after already being a man shy against the Premier League giants, Olivier Giroud saw his poor header flash off target.

Straight after the break, substitute Conor Gallagher’s effort hit the side netting before Sergino Dest, who endured a woeful evening in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge last week, blasted an effort into the stands.

Ex-Liverpool striker Divock Origi tried to reopen the game one minute into stoppage-time but sent a tame effort into the arms of Kepa Arrizabalaga before Gallagher drew a good reflex save from Ciprian Tatarusanu.

The fixtures between the two sides clearly epitomised the gulf between Premier League and Serie A as Chelsea have the experience, talent and tactical nous the Rossoneri lack on the European stage despite their supremacy in the domestic Serie A.

Trailing Milan by three points ahead of last week’s double header, Chelsea now lead Stefano Pioli’s men by the same gap.

The Blues only need a win against Croatian side RB Salzburg to seal the deal while Milan, despite the deflating evening, still have fate into their own hands.

Maximum points against the Austrian and Croatian outfits in their final two group games will see the seven-time Champions League winners sneak into the last-16 round for the first time since 2014.