A competition that felt like a poor consolation prize has had surprising benefits for Enzo Maresca and his players

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke and a brace from Nicholas Jackson gave Chelsea a comfortable 4-1 win over Swedish side Djurgarden on a tricky artificial pitch in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final on Thursday.

The second leg at Stamford Bridge will be little other than a formality after this win, which also saw Jadon Sancho score just his fourth Chelsea goal while Noni Madueke got in on the act too. Djurgarden proved as weak as any opponent Enzo Maresca’s side had faced since the early weeks of their European campaign.