A late header by defender Marcos Alonso and Kepa Arrizabalaga's goalkeeping heroics helped Chelsea beat a stubborn Slavia Prague 1-0 in their Europa League quarterfinal, first leg on Thursday. Spaniard Alonso broke the deadlock for the west London side in the 86th minute when he sneaked behind two defenders to connect with Willian's cross and score what proved to be the winner in the first competitive meeting between the two sides. "I'm very happy with the result and also with the performance, because at this moment we are able to suffer, in the past we were not," Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri told reporters. "In the past, when we were in trouble, we conceded immediately a goal, now we did not concede anything." Sarri made seven changes from the team that beat West Ham United 2-0 in the Premier League on Monday, with talisman Eden Hazard coming off the bench for the last half an hour. Willian's fierce shot hit the bar in the first half before the hosts had a chance to open the scoring on the counter in the 69th minute when Ibrahim Traore drive into the Chelsea box and struck a shot that was superbly punched away by Kepa. The Spanish goalkeeper then kept out left-back Jan Boril's close-range shot in the 80th minute. Alonso's goal gave the Blues a vital away goal as they put behind them bitter memories of the stadium where they lost the 2013 Super Cup to Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout. Slavia defender Simon Deli said: "It's disappointing because we did very well and in the last minutes we conceded this kind of goal. Of course, it's difficult for us, but it's football. "Now we'll prepare for our next game — the derby — and then against Chelsea in London," he added referring to the Czech league leaders' game against third-placed Sparta on Sunday. Meanwhile, three Chelsea fans were stopped from entering Slavia Prague's stadium for Thursday's Europa League game after an alleged racist chant about Liverpool's Egypt international Mohamed Salah circulated on social media. Chelsea, who visit Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday, put a statement on their website condemning any form of discriminatory behavior after a video showed supporters singing in an apparent derogatory reference to the Egyptian player. Merseyside Police said they were investigating publication of offensive Tweets made in relation to a Liverpool player. Ex-Chelsea forward Salah, Player of the Year in England last season and winner of the African Footballer of the Year award for the second time in a row in January, is of Muslim faith. Chelsea said: "Chelsea FC finds all forms of discriminatory behavior abhorrent and where there is clear evidence of Chelsea season ticket holders or members involved in such behavior, we will take the strongest possible action against them. "Such individuals are an embarrassment to the vast majority of Chelsea supporters who won't tolerate them in their club." Chelsea's Italian manager Maurizio Sarri was asked at the post-match press conference following his side's first leg win over Slavia Prague if the Premier League club was right to stop the fans attending the match. "I don't want to speak about something that I don't know. I did not see the details. Of course it is right that the club made a very strong decision," he told reporters. Liverpool said in a statement on their website: "The video circulating online, showing vile discriminatory chants being aimed at one of our players, is dangerous and disturbing. "This behavior needs to be called out for what it is — unadulterated bigotry." Liverpool added that the club were working with Chelsea and Merseyside Police to identify the people in the video. The police added: "The language used in the Tweets is abhorrent and we are taking the reports extremely seriously. "...we understand a number of individuals who are currently in Prague for the Slavia Prague v Chelsea (Europa) League game have been identified and have had their match tickets rescinded for this evening's fixture." The anti-discrimination organization Kick It Out condemned the latest racist abuse aimed at a footballer. "It's not on the terraces, but it's still a disgrace. We don't want fans like that anywhere near our game," it tweeted. "We will be liaising with @ChelseaFC to ensure those involved are identified and punished swiftly and effectively." — Reuters
