The Blues had to be patient in breaking down a stubborn Malmo defence and we were rewarded for our efforts 11 minutes after the break, with Ziyech slotting home the eventual winner which came courtesy of a perfect pass across the face of goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi in front of the travelling Chelsea supporters.

Thomas Tuchel’s side controlled the game, aside from a couple of rare Malmo attacks, and the scoreline could – and perhaps should – have been increased.

Kai Havertz, again leading the line as the most central attacker, was denied by Johan Dahlin in the Malmo goal after being sent clear by Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while Ziyech, Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen all saw efforts kept out by the stopper.

There was more good news for the Blues, with Christian Pulisic making his long-awaited return from injury as a second-half substitute, with the minutes clocked up by the American serving him well ahead of the weekend clash with Burnley in the Premier League. Pulisic had a chance to double our lead deep into injury time, but was unable to find the net after rounding the goalkeeper.

The selection

There were three changes to the side that defeated Newcastle at the weekend, with Loftus-Cheek replacing N’Golo Kante in midfield and Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso coming into the side at right and left wing-back respectively, with goalscoring duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell dropping out.

The regular three in defence – Christensen, Thiago Silva and Toni Rudiger – continued in front of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, while Jorginho and Loftus-Cheek were selected as the central midfield pairing.

In attack, Havertz led the line and was flanked once again by Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi either side.

After defeating Malmo convincingly in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge a couple of weeks ago, and coming into this game off the back of a 3-0 victory at Newcastle, confidence was high in the Chelsea camp but our Swedish hosts weren’t in any mood to make things easy for us.

Stubborn Malmo frustrate Chelsea

The game started at quite a pace and there was an early shout for a Chelsea penalty inside the first four minutes. Azpilicueta won the ball high up the Malmo half and fed Havertz in the box, with the German going down under an Anel Ahmedhodzic challenge but no penalty was awarded by the referee and the hosts cleared their lines.

There were further chances for Alonso, who sliced a right-foot shot well wide of the target, and Azpilicueta who saw an attempt from the edge of the box fumbled by the goalkeeper and behind for a corner.

The hosts were looking to counter, sitting in deep and then searching for the pace of Antonio Colak and Sebastian Nanasi, with the latter stealing the ball from Loftus-Cheek and driving into the box, before he was crowded out by a sea of blue shirts and Mendy was able to gather his tame shot. A warning sign, nevertheless.

Blues dominance

Thomas Tuchel’s side were enjoying almost all the possession at the Malmo New Stadium and further chances were created without breaching the Malmo net.

Havertz and Ziyech linked up well but the latter was thwarted by a smart save from Dahlin before the Moroccan then whipped over a cross that Loftus-Cheek nodded just wide of the target.

Hudson-Odoi was looking dangerous, constantly switching sides with Ziyech, and the latter went close to opening the scoring after 21 minutes but saw his drive kept out well by Dahlin.

Another chance came and went for Ziyech before the best opportunity of the game wasn’t taken up by Havertz just before the half-hour mark. Loftus-Cheek found the German with a beautiful pass through the Malmo backline but Kai took an extra touch and was eventually crowded out before getting his shot away.

A long-range drive from Christensen caused issues for Dahlin in the Malmo goal but Alonso was unable to pounce on the fumble before a mini scramble ensued and the danger was cleared.

Wing play unlocks Malmo

The Blues finally breached the Malmo net after 56 minutes, with Ziyech the man on target following brilliant work from his fellow winger, Hudson-Odoi.

Callum raced away down the right and sent over an inch-perfect cross for Ziyech to step onto the pass and apply the finishing touch, before celebrating wildly in front of the travelling Chelsea fans and running over to thank his team-mate for the service.

Thiago Silva went close to adding a second for the Blues when he flicked a Ziyech corner towards goal but could only watch as a Malmo defender cleared off the line and then hacked away before Rudiger could pounce.

Pulisic returns

There was to be even more narrative around our wingers, with Pulisic making his return from injury for his first outing since the opening day victory over Crystal Palace.

The American replaced Hudson-Odoi, while Ziyech was also withdrawn at the same time for Ross Barkley. The two new arrivals to this game combined immediately, with Pulisic feeding the ball back for Barkley but the former Everton man saw his effort blocked.

Pulisic almost doubled our lead with the final action of the game, racing through on goal before rounding the goalkeeper but being unable to find the back of the net as he forced himself wide and fired into the side-netting, although the assistant's flag was then raised.

Generally, Pulisic looked neat and tidy on the ball and the 15 minutes or so he got under his belt will do him the power of good as he looks to force his way back into the side following his absence.

What's next?

The Blues will fly back from Sweden straight after the game ready to rest up and recover ahead of Saturday’s home fixture with Burnley in the Premier League. The game at Stamford Bridge kicks-off at 3pm, with Chelsea hoping to record another three points and extend our lead at the top of the table.

Chelsea (3-4-3): Mendy; Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta (c), Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech (Barkley 74), Havertz, Hudson-Odoi (Pulisic 74)Unused subs: Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Chilwell, James, Chalobah, Sarr, Saul, ValeScorer Ziyech 56Booked Thiago Silva 69, Loftus-Cheek 80

Malmo (3-5-2): Dahlin, Nielsen (c), Brorsson, Ahmedhodzic, Berget (Larsson 86), Pena (Lewicki 57), Innocent, Rieks (Olsson 57), Rakip (Birmancevic 86), Colak, Nanasi (Nalic 75)Unused subs: Ellborg, Diawara, Moisander, Abubakari, Gwargis, Eile

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)Crowd: 19,551