Things began in somewhat inauspicious fashion, with Romeo Lavia picking up an(other) injury inside the first five minutes and having to make way for Moises Caicedo, whose day off was thus rudely interrupted.
However, when Estevao opened the scoring not long after, with barely 15 minutes on the clock, at least it looked like the game itself was heading in the right direction.
But then a sudden turn saw us concede twice in quick succession, first thanks to some lax defending and then a somewhat unfortunate handball called on Jorrel Hato in the area. Qarabag were causing all sorts of problems with their speed on the wings, and our makeshift defense was having some serious issues dealing with that.
A triple-change at half time didn’t seem to be working initially, with the home side threatening yet again, but then Alejandro Garnacho rifled in an equalizer, and after that, the game took a bit more familiar and expected shape, with Chelsea finally controlling possession and Qarabag looking to counter quickly.
Unfortunately, the winning goal would elude us, with the likes of Delap, Estevao, Enzo, and even Bounanotte coming close but not able to find the back of the net. Both teams had a chance to win it in stoppage time; neither did.
* It seems like every game we’re going with a different back-four; today it was Tosin & Hato in the middle, with Cucurella and Reece as the wingbacks
* Subs making a positive impact, but a concern that the backups can’t quite get it done
* Top-eight finish looking less likely now in the league phase
* Next up: Wolves, away, in the Premier League on Saturday
* KTBFFH
See More:
* [Chelsea FC: Champions League](/european-tournaments)