As Chelsea supporters filtered into the Malmo squares in the early hours of Friday morning, the theme of the conversation would be quite clear.
Did this result represent a blanket over the flames? Or is there life yet in the ailing reign of Maurizio Sarri?
For long periods of this fraught encounter, another team in blue and white promised to deepen the malaise inflicting Sarri.
Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud were on target as Chelsea defeated Malmo to ease the pressure on manager Maurizio Sarri
Barkley controlled the ball with a touch that allowed it get slightly away from him before reacting quickly to stab the ball home
Giroud then doubled their advantage with an exquisite flick at the near post to divert the ball into the net from Willian's cross
Anders Christiansen pulled one back for the hosts on the break to give them a lifeline in the second leg with a good finish
The Dane collected the ball and sprinted back to the halfway line as he launched the search for an equaliser for the hosts
The win eased the pressure on manager Sarri after his position was called into question following the loss at Manchester City
Malmo: Dahlin, Vindheim, Nielsen, Bengtsson, Safari, Traustason (Lewicki 70), Christiansen (Gall 80), Bachirou, Rieks, Antonsson (Strandberg 70), Rosenberg.
Subs not used: Melicharek, Larsson, Binaku, Ahmedhodzic.
Goals: Christiansen 80
Bookings: None
Manager: Uwe Rosler
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Christensen, Emerson, Barkley, Jorginho (Kante 73), Kovacic, Willian (Hazard 71), Giroud, Pedro (Hudson-Odoi 84).
Subs not used: Caballero, Rudiger, Higuain, Zappacosta.
Goals: Barkley 30, Giroud 58
Bookings: None
Manager: Maurizio Sarri
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov
Ross Barkley opened the scoring after 30 minutes with his first European goal after a lengthy spell of possession for the visitors. Click HERE for more from our MATCH ZONE.
After Manchester City's balletic exhibition in Manchester, this was an altogether different experience for Chelsea but for a while ,it threatened to be equally haunting. After a lesson in the beautiful game by Pep Guardiola's side, along came Malmo.
The Swedes are a hard-nosed, gritty, energetic team that asked rather different questions of Chelsea's faculties.
And then, in one glorious, sweeping move, Sarri's vision came to life. Chelsea were already leading through a Ross Barkley goal but they were under the cosh and managing the match rather awkwardly.
The second, however, was Chelsea's first truly fluid attack of the evening. It began with Sarri's essential figure, Jorginho, who was harried in central midfield but he hoodwinked his opponents, threading a pass that broke the lines and saw Barkley running over halfway with menace. Barkley carried the ball purposefully, teed up Willian, who crossed low and Olivier Giroud turned in the crucial second.
Amid the latest bout of pressure overwhelming their manager, both the result and Chelsea's second-half confidence and swagger seemed to be a statement. A level of belief has been restored ahead of matches against Manchester United in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final that will go a long way to defining Sarri's reign. Chairman Bruce Buck, who sat in on Sarri's pre-match press conference, also took in a close-up pitchside view of the players going through their warm-ups.
Both teams shake hands ahead of kick-off as fans did their best to create a partisan atmosphere inside the stadium
Chelsea winger Pedro guides through the air as he looks to dribble the ball past opposition defenders in search of a goal
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is shoved to the ground by Malmo's Markus Rosenberg as they battle for possession
Under-pressure Maurizio Sarri barks instructions at his players as he looked to end his side's recent woes on the pitch
Malmo's Rasmus Bengtsson tries to deny Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud taking a shot on goal from a dangerous position
Chelsea finally took the lead after half an hour when Barkley pounced on the loose ball before steering it into the net
File this away, therefore, as a result urgently required for Sarri, particularly as in the first half, the home side challenged Chelsea's resilience and the answers were not always convincing. Indeed, even when Chelsea looked safe, sound and sailing into the next round, angst crept into their play. N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard were by now on the field as substitutes but with a 2-0 lead, suddenly the Chelsea defence
