It is tempting to dismiss the Europa League group stage as a nuisance that Maurizio Sarri could have done without. It can be a tiresome venture for players and fans alike, and it can seem like a pointless exercise: Chelsea have five wins from five against various offerings from Hungary, Greece and Belarus, and a routine 4-0 victory here at Stamford Bridge against the 10 men of PAOK secured top spot with a game to spare.

Playing the Thursday-Sunday rota, Sarri has openly complained about the lack of time he’s been afforded in these opening months to embed his ideas. His comments this week about N’Golo Kante said as much, and he showed it on the touchline here, agitatedly directing his players and turning to his bench to bemoan every heavy touch, or misplaced pass, or the enigma of Ross Barkley, gesticulating to a startled Gianfranco Zola on the bench in the same way Pep Guardiola’s rollickings seem to waft in the general direction of a stony-faced Mikel Arteta.

But surely the pros of these nights outweigh the cons. For starters, they have not always been the routine victories you might expect, and even the visitors here took some breaking down in the first half before the game opened up.

Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Show all 11 1 /11 Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDDIE KEOGH REUTERS Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Davide Zappacosta - 6 epa07198285 Chelsea's Davide Zappacosta (R) vies for ball against PAOK's Vieirinha (L) during the UEFA Europa League Group L soccer match between Chelsea and PAOK in Stamford Bridge, London, Britain, 29 November 2018. EPA/WILL OLIVER WILL OLIVER EPA Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Andreas Christensen - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 Chelsea's Andreas Christensen in action with PAOK Salonika's Omar El Kaddouri REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDDIE KEOGH REUTERS Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Gary Cahill - 7 LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Leo Jaba of PAOK FC shoots while being challenged by Gary Cahill of Chelsea during the UEFA Europa League Group L match between Chelsea and PAOK at Stamford Bridge on November 29, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Richard Heathcote Getty Images Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Emerson - 6 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 PAOK Salonika's Leo Jaba in action with Chelsea's Emerson Palmieri Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra PETER CZIBORRA Action Images via Reuters Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Cesc Fabregas - 7 epa07198326 Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas (L) vies for ball against PAOK's Aleksandar Prijovic (R) during the UEFA Europa League Group L soccer match between Chelsea and PAOK in Stamford Bridge, London, Britain, 29 November 2018. EPA/WILL OLIVER WILL OLIVER EPA Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Ross Barkley - 7 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 Chelsea's Ross Barkley in action REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDDIE KEOGH REUTERS Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 7 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek shoots at goal REUTERS/Eddie Keogh EDDIE KEOGH REUTERS Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Pedro - 7 epa07198284 Chelsea's Pedro shoots during the UEFA Europa League Group L soccer match between Chelsea and PAOK in Stamford Bridge, London, Britain, 29 November 2018. EPA/WILL OLIVER WILL OLIVER EPA Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Callum Hudson-Odoi - 7 Soccer Football - Europa League - Group Stage - Group L - Chelsea v PAOK Salonika - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - November 29, 2018 Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi celebrates scoring their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra PETER CZIBORRA Action Images via Reuters Chelsea vs PAOK player ratings Olivier Giroud - 8 LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Olivier Giroud of Chelsea celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Europa League Group L match between Chelsea and PAOK at Stamford Bridge on November 29, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Richard Heathcote Getty Images

Most valuable has been the opportunity for Sarri to test his understudies. Cesc Fabregas has fired in fits and starts through the group stage, and here in particular he just had fun. He played a delightful little chip to set up Olivier Giroud’s second goal and consistently showed one thing that Jorginho has been reluctant to: the raking Hail Mary from quarter-back to a winger’s infield run, a ball which would have its own assist column in the Chelsea programme if it wasn’t for some wasteful play on the other end of it.

Then there’s Loftus-Cheek, who enjoyed his best night in a Chelsea shirt a couple of weeks ago when his hat-trick turned over Bate Borisov; and Giroud, whose goals here can only give him confidence, something in worryingly short supply in Chelsea’s attacking unit; and Gary Cahill, who would barely have played a minute all season but for the chance to focus all his energies on Group L of the Europa League.

And here the most noticeable beneficiary was the teenager tearing down the left wing, Callum Hudson-Odoi. On his first ever start in professional football, the 18-year-old brought exactly the kind of confidence and swagger which he showed to light up Chelsea’s pre-season. At one point in the first half he received the ball 25 yards from goal, shifted it out of his feet and curled an effortless shot on to the crossbar.

Hudson-Odoi celebrates with his team-mates (Reuters) (REUTERS)

Hudson-Odoi carries himself with the air of someone who’s been doing this all his life, and in some ways he has; playing football as a tricky winger is much the same at any level, it’s just the higher up you go the more the defender you terrorise gets stronger, quicker, a little more streetwise. But the ball on his toe remains the same, and the colour of his shirt is the same blue he’s worn since he joined Chelsea as a seven-year-old boy.

And on the hour he got his reward. Should a typical Hudson-Odoi goal ever emerge, perhaps it will be this one, cutting inside from the left on to his right foot and giving the goalkeeper the eyes, shaping to curl in the far corner before snapping his foot back to find the slightest gap inside the near post.

Soon after he was joined on the Stamford Bridge pitch by substitute Ethan Ampadu, another talented youngster full of hope, starting a journey of unknowns with no idea whether he might forge a career at Chelsea or be forced to look elsewhere like so many before him. This was at least a night when they got a taste of the professional game which they might not otherwise have had were Chelsea in the Champions League or not in Europe at all.