Chelsea booked their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night despite a 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge to a spirited Legia Warsaw side. The Blues progressed with a 4-2 aggregate victory, thanks largely to Marc Cucurella’s first-half strike which proved decisive over the two legs.

Legia came into the return leg with a mountain to climb after a 3-0 defeat in the first leg but threatened an unlikely comeback early on. Tomas Pekhart opened the scoring for the visitors from the penalty spot after Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen brought him down inside the box.

The home side looked unsettled, but it was Marc Cucurella who calmed the nerves, finishing a low cross from Jadon Sancho in the 33rd minute to level the score on the night. The goal marked Cucurella’s sixth of the season a surprising but welcome contribution from the left-back who has been one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers in recent weeks.

However, Legia were not done yet. In the second half, Steve Kapuadi capitalized on Chelsea’s poor defending from a set-piece to give the Polish side a 2-1 lead. Despite Legia’s momentum and Chelsea’s lack of urgency, the aggregate advantage remained firmly in the Blues’ favor.

Chelsea’s overall performance left much to be desired. Filip Jørgensen, already at fault for the penalty, looked shaky throughout and was lucky not to concede another spot-kick. Cole Palmer’s goal drought continued now at 15 games after missing early chances and being substituted before the hour mark. Promising youngster Tyrique George had a goal ruled out for offside but showed flashes of creativity.

Post-match, captain Reece James did not mince words: “It was a poor performance. Maybe we disrespected the competition today,” he said. Manager Enzo Maresca echoed the sentiment, admitting, “Probably tonight because of the first result you can manage the game in the wrong way.”

Chelsea now look ahead to a semi-final clash against Swedish side Djurgården, with the first leg scheduled for May 1. While they remain in contention for silverware, performances like this raise concerns ahead of their next Premier League match against Fulham.

Advancing is always the objective in knockout football, but Chelsea will know they must raise their level considerably if they are to go all the way in Europe’s third-tier competition.