Chelsea kept their hopes of finishing in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League alive with a narrow 1–0 win over Pafos at Stamford Bridge, marking their 15th consecutive home unbeaten in the competition.

After a defeat to Atalanta in their previous UCL outing, the Blues knew they needed two wins from their remaining league-phase matches to secure a top-eight finish. Against a Pafos side still eyeing the playoff round, Chelsea dominated possession and territory throughout the first half.

Their first shot came in the 11th minute when Pedro Neto cut inside and fired over the crossbar, followed shortly after by Reece James curling an effort just wide from the edge of the area. Chelsea thought they had taken the lead when Enzo Fernandez headed in, but the goal was ruled out for a push on Derrick Luckassen.

Pafos rarely threatened early, but they came close midway through the half. Jaja’s deflected effort hit the post after bouncing off James, providing the Cypriots with their best chance of the first 30 minutes. The scare seemed to galvanize Chelsea, who tested goalkeeper Jay Gorter repeatedly. Moises Caicedo had a powerful shot saved, Benoit Badiashile headed past the post from Alejandro Garnacho’s cross, and Gorter also blocked a strike from Jorrel Hato.

The second half saw Chelsea continue to dominate, now boosted by the introduction of Brazilian teenager Estevao. He nearly made an instant impact, but Gorter denied his volley, and further attempts from Neto and Caicedo were also stopped. Pafos defended valiantly, with Derrick Luckassen producing a crucial block to deny Garnacho.

Chelsea finally broke through in the 78th minute, after 13 corners, when Moises Caicedo headed home to secure the winner, much to the delight of head coach Liam Rosenior.

Pafos pushed for an equaliser late on but were unable to find a breakthrough, leaving them on six points ahead of their final group-stage match against Slavia Praha next week. Meanwhile, Rosenior has now won three of his four games since taking charge at Chelsea, with a final match at Napoli set to be his most important yet in guiding the team toward the UCL knockout stages.