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The gloom around Chelsea may not have been fully resolved, but Maurizio Sarri's men did their best to bounce back with a 2-1 win at Malmo on Thursday night.
Just four days after suffering the humiliation in Manchester at a 6-0 pounding by City, the pressure was strong for the Blues to occur.
Although he was not too handsome, Chelsea did the job in the Europa League thanks to goals from Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud.
And it was the former in particular who impressed former Chelsea star turned pundit Joe Cole, who was on duty for BT Sport's Punditry on Thursday.
In fact, Cole has called Barkley a player who brings a unique combination of skills to Chelsea, which, according to the former British international, could move the Blues forward in their attempt to clinch a top-four spot in the Premier League FA Cup draw against Manchester United next week.
"We know that Ross (Barkley) has exceptional quality and we've seen it in Chelsea," Cole told BT Sport. "I think tonight, what we wanted to see was that he took the part by the skin of the neck and that he climbs into the surface.
"When you play Sarriball, when you're a midfielder, you have to break into the surface and he does it well. Yes, he is lucky, but he scores and scores a goal. He seemed to grow in the game after that.
"What I like, what Chelsea does not have in the middle of the pitch is his ability to drive with the ball and break the lines. All other backgrounds have many different qualities, but Ross is the best at this level. Tonight, when he did that, he really took the match to the skin of his neck.
"We need to see more of him doing this. The fans, the players and the club like it. He is still 24 years old. He comes more from him than he has already shown. This is good news for England and Chelsea. "
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