Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic reveals special gift to parents after Red Bull Salzburg win

Chelsea bounced back from their opening day defeat in the Champions League to top their group thanks to an impressive 2-1 win over Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

Mateo Kovaci who was born in  Austria but now plays for Croatia, he scored a cracking goal in the first half before German Kai Havertz grabbed the winner with a beautiful curler after Junior Adamu had levelled for the home side.

The win for Chelsea was the first home defeat for Austrian side Salzburg in 40 games - and keeps Graham Potter’s strong start to life as Chelsea manager going with another win. The English manager is still without a defeat in his first nine as Blues boss. By finishing top of their group, Potter’s side will be seeded for the last-16 draw on 7 November.

Kovacic rarely scores but when he does it’s always special. He was delighted to be able to score in the country of his birth, with his parents watching on from the stands. The Chelsea midfielder told BT Sports after the game against Salzburg: “It’s nice to score in the country where I was born. My parents were here and so were my friends.

Chelsea will now look to turn their attention to their Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend having only managed a draw against Manchester United at home the other week.

Injuries

Chelsea manager Graham Potter is having to navigate his strong start to the season with injuries to key players including midfielder N’Golo Kante, who has undergone the knife. Record summer signing Wesley Fofana and former Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly are also sidelined and likely to miss out on the game this weekend.