Seven Goals, Two Twos and a 3.69

The scoreboard said 0-7. The other numbers were still catching up. Chelsea took 21 shots at Sturmstadion Liebenau and put nine on target; Sturm Graz managed three, two of them on target, and their night's expected goals came to 0.27. The gap between what Chelsea created and what they converted was the story of the evening: seven clear-cut chances, all of them taken, on an expected-goals figure of 3.69.

Júnior and Lionel Messi both finished with 10.0 ratings, both with two goals and two assists, both covering more than 13 kilometres. Júnior added four key passes and won five tackles. Marcelo Formicola, replaced on 61 minutes, had a hat-trick by then, from seven shots. Billy Laing came on at the same moment and produced an assist and three key passes in the time that remained. Chelsea's shape was new — a 4-2-3-1 rather than the 4-3-3 they have used in ten of their last twelve — and Roberto Baggio started in the attacking midfield slot instead of on the right.

Sturm Graz lost Patrick Kroll's predecessor in goal before kick-off, a fractured lower arm, and Patrick Kroll stepped in. Aridani was booked on 53 minutes; Norberto Pico followed him into the book for Chelsea three minutes into the second half. Nicola Sabba, replaced on 56 minutes, was the pick of the home ratings at 6.6.

Seven is a round number and an awkward one. Chelsea's nine shots on target produced seven goals; Sturm Graz's two produced none. The home side completed 416 passes to Chelsea's 450, which tells you possession was shared and the damage was not. It was done in the spaces where the chances live. The next fixture is not yet fixed; on this evidence, whoever draws Chelsea will be studying the 4-2-3-1.