Europa League - Loftus-Cheek scores three as Chelsea beat Bate

Huntriss: Chelsea have too many midfielders but number nines who can’t score. If there’s no room for him in midfield, why not give Ruben Loftus-Cheek a start in the centre-forward role?

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri on BT Sport, speaking about his selection for Sunday's game against Burnley: "We will see tomorrow for Sunday as I don't know at the moment, but we will need to change six or seven players. Burnley are very difficult, I saw a lot of their matches last season, and I know it will be a tough game."

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri on BT Sport, speaking about Ruben Loftus-Cheek: "At the beginning of the season he was a very good player and now he is a good player that is more suited to my style of football.

"But we have a tactical problem, because we have four midfielders with very similar characteristics. Eden Hazard is more attacking and N'golo Kante is more defensive, but it is very hard to play four midfielders with similar characteristics. We have to continue to work with all our midfielders at work in the defensive phase."

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Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri on BT Sport: "The target in the short period is to qualify and then to win the group. We played very well for 65 minutes and not very well in the last 20 minutes. It was a good match.

"When we conceded the goal I didn't like it very much. I don't know why but I prefer the clean sheet."

Maurizio Sarri is having a laugh and a joke in his post-match interview, as you'd expect. He says that he has four midfielders for two positions so Ruben Loftus-Cheek has a problem...

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek's opening goal came with his first shot on target for Chelsea in 2018-19 (in his fourth appearance) – he then scored with his second and third shots on target of the season later in the game.

An interesting graphic on BT shows that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is older than Dele Alli but has started almost 200 fewer games...

Former Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves on BT Sport: "There's been a lot of talk about Ruben Loftus-Cheek recently and tonight he was an unstoppable force - I think this performance can turn his Chelsea career around.

"Loftus-Cheek has everything - but tonight he has specialised - he's a goalscoring midfielder now. He can give that to his manager now.

"This is the most important moment of his career, now he has shown everyone what he's capable of. Now, he needs to show he can do it again, he needs to show that he can become a feature. And if he can't do it at Chelsea, he needs to go on a two-year loan."

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek became the first English player to score a European hat-trick for Chelsea since 29th September 1971; when Peter Osgood scored five goals and Tommy Baldwin netted three against Jeunesse Hautcharage in the Cup Winners’ Cup.

"Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a Swiss army knife" says Owen Hargreaves on BT Sport. Is he going to start on Sunday in the Premier League?

No.

Alex: Sarri's got a good selection headache for midfield. Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek and Barkley looking sharp. Up front, it's got to be Giroud. Morata just isn't as intelligent off the ball and can't convert simple chances.

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Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on BT Sport: "It feels really good, the target is to win the group.

"It's up there, it's my first hat-trick in a while, even since playing for the youth team. It feels nice. Any player will tell you it's nice to score a hat-trick and it feels good, I'll get the ball signed and put in a glass box. Hopefully there are many more to come.

"The first thing is to train well and as hard as I can. Keep the good habits, eat well and sleep well and if I keep doing that the chances will come."

Drogba Jnr: Chelsea should buy a good striker in January because the two they are currently playing in the number nine position are not good enough.

It finished goalless at Ibrox.

Follow the reaction here.

SMS Message: Europa League is dull. End of. Time to wake up and change the format before it dies a death. from Matt, London

Europa League is dull. End of. Time to wake up and change the format before it dies a death.

RLC sticks the match ball under his shirt, one to remember.

Chelsea are six points clear at the top of Group L, qualification surely in the bag. Cesc Fabregas has a hug with former Arsenal team-mate Alex Hleb as the sides come off the field.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek 3-1 Bate Borisov

Blow up, ref. Walking football.