Marcos Alonso's header four minutes from time gave Chelsea the edge over hard-working Slavia Prague with a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final in the Czech capital on Thursday.

The Spanish left-back capitalised on a fine cross by Brazilian winger Willian, the tireless mastermind of Chelsea's attack on a chilly night. Willian came close to scoring on 25 minutes but slammed his effort onto the crossbar.