Enzo Maresca`s attempt to gain favor with Chelsea fans backfired as his expensively assembled team suffered an unexpected loss.
The Chelsea head coach fielded a star-studded lineup, hoping to inject energy into Stamford Bridge after recent lackluster performances.
Despite reaching the Conference League semi-finals, Chelsea was defeated by the fifth-ranked team in the Polish league.
This marks Chelsea`s first home defeat in 2025 and their first loss in the UEFA C-List tournament`s main draw, a competition they are expected to win easily.
Flares set off by away fans briefly obscured the pitch in the second half, but there was no hiding the embarrassment for Maresca’s billion-pound squad.
Although Chelsea progressed to the semi-finals on aggregate, this result has intensified fan discontent with Maresca`s tactics, with supporters expressing both anger and boredom.
The slow pace and cautious play around their own penalty area drew jeers from the crowd, who were demanding more dynamism.
If not for the constant singing from 1,000 Polish supporters, the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge would have been dismal.
Maresca selected a strong starting lineup, including Reece James, Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Marc Cucurella.
It was unclear whether this selection was preparation for their upcoming match against Fulham or punishment for their poor performance against Ipswich.
While Chelsea has struggled for consistency in the Premier League, their European campaign has been different.
The lower level of competition in Europe has allowed Maresca to rotate his squad and primarily utilize his second-string players.
However, last night saw a return to a more experienced lineup.
It became clear that Maresca`s priority was to prepare his strongest team for the remainder of the domestic season.
Early in the game, Palmer missed a one-on-one opportunity, shooting wide. He then missed a header shortly after, partly due to Jadon Sancho passing instead of shooting himself.
Chelsea`s familiar problems resurfaced as, despite dominating the first ten minutes and creating chances, they conceded first.
Legia Warsaw`s first attack resulted in Filip Jorgensen fouling Tomas Pekhart in the box, leading to a penalty.
Pekhart converted the penalty, giving Warsaw the lead.
With Chelsea holding a comfortable 3-0 aggregate lead, there was no sense of panic, even among the vocal away supporters.
Sancho provided a crucial pass in the 31st minute, setting up Cucurella to score from close range and equalize the score on the night.
However, a sense of fragility remains within Maresca’s Chelsea side, even with the first-choice players. The fans` negativity, similar to Sunday`s game, seemed to affect the team`s confidence.
This vulnerability allowed Warsaw to regain the lead early in the second half.
From a corner, Chelsea failed to clear the ball, and Claud Goncalves` shot found Steve Kapuadi, who headed it past Jorgensen.
The goal prompted a large display of flares in the away end.
Substitute Noni Madueke injected some energy into Chelsea`s attack and had a shot cleared off the line. Another substitute, Tyrique George, saw his follow-up shot nearly cross the line, but Kapaudi cleared it.
For a period, the pitch was filled with white smoke, obscuring the play as Chelsea attempted to increase their tempo against the backdrop of growing fan frustration.
When the smoke cleared, Chelsea continued to struggle against a weaker opponent, a recurring theme this season.
