Chelsea are through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League, but the mood around Stamford Bridge is anything but celebratory after a frustrating 2-1 home defeat to Legia Warsaw in the second leg of the quarter-final.

Enzo Maresca’s side advanced 4-2 on aggregate, thanks to their 3-0 win in Poland last week, but this return leg offered more questions than answers about the team’s direction. Once again, Chelsea looked disjointed, passive in midfield, and worryingly easy to break down at the back.

Legia Warsaw, sitting fifth in the Polish Ekstraklasa, came into the match with little to lose — and played like it. Czech striker Tomas Pekhart converted a first-half penalty after a clumsy challenge in the box from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, and although Marc Cucurella responded with a well-taken equaliser, Chelsea failed to build on the momentum.

Instead, it was Legia who found the winner early in the second half, as Steve Kapuadi pounced on some poor marking to make it 2-1. The goal silenced much of Stamford Bridge — except for the away end, where flares lit up the Shed End in a moment that seemed to symbolise Chelsea’s ongoing chaos.

While progression to the semi-finals is a step forward, the performance was far from convincing. Maresca’s tactical setup looked flat, with little cohesion in attack and a worrying lack of urgency in midfield. It’s another setback in a season of fits and starts, and the fanbase’s growing frustration with the head coach won’t have been eased by this latest display.

With a place in the final in Wroclaw on May 28 now just one step away, Chelsea must find consistency — and quickly. If Maresca can’t galvanise this talented but underperforming squad, dreams of European glory could vanish just as quickly as a flare in the night.