Match ends, Chelsea 6, NK Maribor 0.
- Drogba scores first Chelsea goal since summer return
- Terry and Viler own goal put hosts in command
- Hazard scores twice late on
- Maribor hit the post with a penalty
Didier Drogba scored his first goal since rejoining Chelsea as they recorded their biggest Champions League win with a dominant victory against Maribor at Stamford Bridge.
Loic Remy swept in the opener but was quickly replaced by Drogba after injuring himself when scoring.
Drogba then converted a penalty before John Terry slid in a third.
A Mitja Viler own goal put Chelsea in command before Eden Hazard scored a penalty and drove in a late sixth.
Agim Ibraimi hit the post with a penalty for Maribor, but in truth the Slovenians were well beaten.
Chelsea have seven points from three games to sit top of Group G, and will be confident of reaching the knockout stage.
It was almost the perfect win for boss Jose Mourinho, although the injury to Remy was a cause for concern.
With Diego Costa out with a hamstring injury, the Blues could face Sunday's Premier League trip to Manchester United with Drogba as the club's only fit first-team striker.
For now, Mourinho will surely be satisfied with another impressive performance from his side which extends their run of wins to 10 from 12 games in all competitions.
They are still to be beaten, having drawn their other two games. One of those was in the Champions League, when Schalke took a point at Stamford Bridge, but there was never any danger of Maribor doing likewise.
After Damjan Bohar planted a header on the roof of the net for the Slovenians, it was all Chelsea - and it did not take them long to go in front.
Terry's smart pass from halfway cut open the Maribor defence and Remy timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap, cut inside Maribor's Marko Suler and sweep a low shot into the far corner from the edge of the area.
Remy had little time to celebrate, as he immediately pulled up in discomfort and had to be replaced by Drogba moments later.
If Maribor harboured hope the change would disrupt Chelsea's momentum, that was dispelled when Drogba scored his first goal for the club since the match-winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final.
Midfielder Ales Mertelj handled Willian's pass inside the Maribor area and Drogba stepped up to thump in the resulting spot-kick.
Maribor had started the game with attacking intent but became increasingly withdrawn, as Chelsea looked capable of scoring every time they went forward.
That, though, only invited further Chelsea pressure, and the home side scored a deserved third when Terry burst into the box to slide in a Cesc Fabregas low cross.
Petr Cech, starting in the Chelsea goal for only the second time this season, had little to do throughout the game, but he was alert to keep out a deflected Tavares strike early in the second half.
Any hope Maribor had of fighting back was ended soon after when Viler diverted Hazard's near-post shot into his own net, before Ibraimi swept a penalty against the post to sum up a miserable evening for the visitors.
With Maribor looking deflated and the win safe, Mourinho handed 17-year-old England youth international striker Dominic Solanke his senior debut for final minutes of the game.
There was still time, though, for Hazard to take centre stage as he rolled in a penalty after Branislav Ivanovic was fouled, before capping a fine overall display by expertly bringing Nathan Ake's high ball under control and curling home.
Line-ups
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Cech
- 2Ivanovic
- 5Zouma
- 26Terry
- 3Filipe Luís
- 4FàbregasSubstituted forAkéat 60'minutes
- 21Matic
- 22Willian
- 8OscarSubstituted forSolankeat 73'minutes
- 10E Hazard
- 18RemySubstituted forDrogbaat 16'minutes
Substitutes
- 6Aké
- 11Drogba
- 13Courtois
- 17Salah
- 24Cahill
- 28Azpilicueta
- 35Solanke
NK Maribor
Formation 4-4-2
- 33Handanovic
- 30Stojanovic
- 26Rajcevic
- 4Suler
- 28VilerSubstituted forVrsicat 57'minutes
- 7Mejac
- 70Mertelj
- 5Filipovic
- 39Bohar
- 9Morales TavaresSubstituted forMendyat 72'minutes
- 10IbraimiSubstituted forZahovicat 68'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Cotman
- 6N'Diaye
- 8Sallalich
- 11Zahovic
- 14Mendy
- 22Vrsic
- 44Bordignon
- Referee:
- Danny Makkelie
- Attendance:
- 41,126
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home58%
- Away42%
- Shots
- Home17
- Away9
- Shots on Target
- Home10
- Away3
- Corners
- Home6
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home11
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Chelsea 6, NK Maribor 0.
Post update
Attempt saved. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Willian.
Goal!
Goal! Chelsea 6, NK Maribor 0. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathan Aké.
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Attempt missed. Zeljko Filipovic (NK Maribor) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
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Attempt blocked. Dare Vrsic (NK Maribor) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Foul by John Terry (Chelsea).
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Luka Zahovic (NK Maribor) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Aleksandar Rajcevic.
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Foul by Nemanja Matic (Chelsea).
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Dare Vrsic (NK Maribor) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal!
Goal! Chelsea 5, NK Maribor 0. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
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Penalty Chelsea. Branislav Ivanovic draws a foul in the penalty area.
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Penalty conceded by Marko Suler (NK Maribor) after a foul in the penalty area.
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Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Aleksandar Rajcevic.
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Willian (Chelsea) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
Substitution
Substitution, Chelsea. Dominic Solanke replaces Oscar.
Substitution
Substitution, NK Maribor. Jean Philippe Mendy replaces Marcos Tavares.
Post update
Foul by John Terry (Chelsea).
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Marcos Tavares (NK Maribor) wins a free kick in the attacking half.