Pedro Neto: The two key areas which helped Chelsea beat Astana in freezing conditions | OneFootball

Pedro Neto won't miss the below-freezing conditions Chelsea had to endure during their Conference League win over FC Astana on Thursday evening.

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea side claimed a 3-1 win in Almaty, Kazakhstan to ensure they maintained their 100 per cent winning start in the League Phase and clinched a spot in the knockout stages.

Chelsea had a heavily changed side for the European affair as they left a whole host of names back in England to ensure minimal disruption for the trip which was around 3,600 miles and an eight-hour flight away.

The visitors got their business done quickly and all the four goals were scored in the first half. Marc Guiu bagged a brace, with his first a well-taken finish after Neto found him on the wing. The duo combined again for Chelsea's second; Neto drilled a cross into the box and Guiu bundled it home.

Renato Veiga made life more comfortable for Chelsea scoreline wise after scoring an unmarked header. Marin Tomasov pulled a goal back for the hosts minutes before the interval to give Astana some hope, but Maresca's Blues managed to hold on for all three points.

Despite the freezing conditions which saw Chelsea play in around -11 conditions, Maresca was in high spirits pre-match, telling TNT Sports: "The feeling is good. We are happy to be here. As we always try, we are going to try our best to win this game."

Chelsea did just that, however it was far from easy to begin with in Almaty, Neto revealed post-match, with the Blues managing to get to grips with the weather as the game went on.

Neto revealed how Chelsea overcame the conditions to win the match, their sixth in a row in all competitions, and put it down to two key areas.

"It was really cold," he told TNT Sports. "I think it was the coldest I've ever played in. But after you got warmed up it was a little bit better.

"It's not easy to play with this weather, but we had the right attitude, the right game that we prepared and we're really happy to take the three points."

Maresca was delighted with his players, as captured by Hayters TV, telling reporters: "We knew it was quite cold. We tried to adapt. The players did fantastic with the weather conditions, the long flight and the pitch was probably not ideal for us. But overall I'm very happy for the players."