Enzo Maresca has vowed the likes of Jadon Sancho and Mikhailo Mudryk will get plenty of minutes for Chelsea in the coming weeks after impressing in the 2-0 win over Heidenheim.
It was England winger Sancho who assisted Mudryk for the Blues' second in Thursday's Conference League fixture after Christopher Nkunku scored a second-half opener at the Voith-Arena.
Neither player has been a regular for the Blues in the Premier League, with Maresca mixing up his options between Premier League duties and domestic and European competition ventures.
But as the English calendar reaches a busy festive schedule, Chelsea boss Maresca said both players will get their fair share of action.
He told a news conference: "I said since we start, Jadon is very important for us. He has to be fit, mentally and physically and he is going to help us a lot.
"Unfortunately we did not use him in the last few games but he is showing tonight how important he is. We need that quality in the last third against a low block. He is going to help us a lot.
"He's (Mudryk) one of the players I just mentioned. It's difficult to find players tonight that didn't play well. We need all of them taking the chances when they get the chances.
"They all want to play more; they all deserve to play and are working fantastic. We are going to share minutes in the next games because we have so many games and it's the normal thing to do."
Chelsea lead the league phase of the competition and are on the brink of the last 16. Maresca praised the mentality his side showed to stay perfect in the competition.
"It was a very good challenge for all the aspects, they were high pressing, intense, but no matter what they do, it's important we are ready," he added.
"It's important to continue with that mentality."
Brighton 1-1 Southampton: Seagulls up to second despite Downes leveller
Brighton moved up to second in the Premier League table despite being held to a 1-1 draw by south coast rivals Southampton at the Amex Stadium.
Kaoru Mitoma gave the Seagulls a 29th-minute lead after stealing in front of compatriot Yukinari Sugawara to head beyond top-flight debutant Joe Lumley.
Flynn Downes then drew the Saints level just before the hour-mark with a well-taken finish from the edge of the area, netting his first Premier League goal.
Southampton thought they had earned a first away victory of the season when Cameron Archer turned home from close range eight minutes later, only to see it ruled out for offside.
That decision saw 10 minutes added to proceedings, and Brighton almost found a winner when Mitoma’s cross found Simon Adingra, but his effort glanced off the post.
Friday’s draw moves Brighton, at least temporarily, one place behind leaders Liverpool, who play Manchester City in a heavyweight clash on Sunday, while Southampton remain bottom.
Data Debrief: Downes does the damage
Southampton have Downes to thank for helping them seal a first away point of the season, though he was perhaps fortunate to remain on the field to score, having made more fouls (five) than anyone on the pitch before being replaced by Joe Aribo in the 66th minute.
The Saints also ended a run of nine straight away Premier League defeats, with Southampton avoiding defeat in a top-flight away game despite conceding the opening goal for the first time since January 2023 (2-1 v Everton).
Russell Martin's side have now scored in all 13 of their top-flight games against Brighton, the most they have faced an opponent while scoring every time in the competition, while Brighton have only faced Man City (15) more without keeping a clean sheet.
Despite the disappointing draw, Fabian Hurzeler is the first manager to avoid defeat in each of his first seven home games in the Premier League (W3 D4) since Maurizio Sarri with Chelsea in 2018-19.
Norway thrash Northern Ireland to take one step towards Euro 2025
Norway took a big step towards qualification for Euro 2025 after a thumping 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland in the first leg of their play-off qualifier.
Caroline Graham Hansen's first-half brace set them on their way to victory, netting both from inside the box after being teed up by Frida Maanum and Guro Reiten respectively.
Tuva Hansen's wonderful long-range strike was sandwiched between the two, and despite a spirited second half from the hosts, Guro Bergsvand profited from a scramble in the 67th minute to truly put them out of sight.
Norway, who beat Albania 14-0 in the first round of qualifying, look set to continue their trend of qualifying for every European Championship since 1984, while Northern Ireland have a mountain to climb next week if they want to qualify for back-to-back tournaments.
Belgium took a 2-0 lead into their second leg against Ukraine with a stoppage-time goal giving them a little more breathing space.
Ella Van Kerkhoven headed the visitors in front after just 20 minutes, and they dominated as they pushed for a second to wrap the game up.
Overall, they had 16 shots, hitting the back of the net again with their last attempt as Tessa Wullaert secured the victory in the 92nd minute, with Ukraine only mustering one attempt on target in return.
Portugal, meanwhile, fought back from a goal down in front of a record crowd to clinch a 1-1 draw with Czechia.
Katerina Svitkova gave Czechia the lead after 33 minutes, but Kika Nazareth struck just two minutes after the break to ensure they had a lifeline for their trip to Teplice on Tuesday.
Wales and the Republic of Ireland also played out a 1-1 draw in Cardiff to leave the tie in the balance.
Lily Woodham scored with the hosts' first shot, prodding home from close range, but fortune was in Ireland's favour for the equaliser as Ruesha Littlejohn's strike hit the crossbar before bouncing in off Olivia Clark's head.
Elsewhere, Poland hold a narrow advantage after the first leg thanks to their 1-0 victory over Austria.
It was a tight affair, with Poland only managing one shot on target, but like Ireland, they profited from an own goal as Marina Georgieva turned it into her own net.
And finally, Scotland played out a 0-0 draw with Finland at Easter Road as they look to reach their first major tournament under Pedro Martinez Losa.
The Tartan Army were second-best on Friday though, with Linda Sallstrom's lob forcing a good save out of Eartha Cumings, who kept Scotland's nine-game unbeaten run intact.
Brighton 1-1 Southampton: Downes strike earns Saints' first away point
Brighton moved up to second in the Premier League table despite being held to a 1-1 draw by south coast rivals Southampton at the Amex Stadium.
Kaoru Mitoma gave the Seagulls a 29th-minute lead after stealing in front of compatriot Yukinari Sugawara to head beyond top-flight debutant Joe Lumley.
Flynn Downes then drew the Saints level just before the hour-mark with a well-taken finish from the edge of the area, netting his first Premier League goal.
Southampton thought they had earned a first away victory of the season when Cameron Archer turned home from close range eight minutes later, only to see it ruled out for offside.
That decision saw 10 minutes added to proceedings, and Brighton almost found a winner when Mitoma’s cross found Simon Adingra, but his effort glanced off the post.
Friday’s draw moves Brighton, at least temporarily, one place behind leaders Liverpool, who play Manchester City in a heavyweight clash on Sunday, while Southampton remain bottom.
Data Debrief: Downes does the damage
Southampton have Downes to thank for helping them seal a first away point of the season, though he was perhaps fortunate to remain on the pitch, having made more fouls (five) than anyone on the pitch before being replaced by Joe Aribo in the 66th minute.
The Saints also ended a run of nine straight away Premier League defeats, with Saints avoiding defeat in a top-flight away game despite conceding the opening goal for the first time since January 2023 (2-1 v Everton).
Russell Martin's side have now scored in all 13 of their top-flight games against Brighton, the most they’ve faced an opponent while scoring every time in the competition, while Brighton have only faced Man City (15) more without keeping a clean sheet.
Despite the disappointing draw, Fabian Hurzeler is the first manager to avoid defeat in each of his first seven home games in the Premier League (W3 D4) since Maurizio Sarri with Chelsea in 2018-19.
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