**Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half strike helped Chelsea battle to a hard-fought draw away to Qarabag.**
The 2,500-mile trip to Azerbaijan proved a potential banana skin for Enzo Maresca’s side, and matters weren’t helped when Romeo Lavia was forced off inside five minutes. He pulled up injured and was replaced by Moises Caicedo.
Estevao provided an early spark for the visitors and opened the scoring inside 20 minutes when he beat Mateusz Kochalski at his near post from a tight angle. His smart finish capped a move that was crafted in Brazil, with both Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos involved in the build-up.
The hosts hit back on the half-hour mark, capitalising on some shaky defending from Jorrel Hato. Striker Camilo Duran was strong enough to get goalside of the Chelsea man and he rattled the post before Patrick Andrade smashed in the rebound.
Qarabag then took the lead in the 38th minute, when Marko Jankovic confidently slotted a penalty past Robert Sanchez after the ball struck Hato’s arm inside the box.
With Chelsea on the ropes, Maresca made a triple change at half-time, and it paid off almost instantly.
After the Blues soaked up a spell of Qarabag pressure, substitute Liam Delap released Garnacho down the left. The Argentine levelled the score when he drove into the box and beat Kochalski with a low strike that nestled in the opposite corner.
Chelsea then piled on the pressure in search of a winner and went close through Enzo Fernandez and Delap, who proved a handful up front.
Estevao was also dangerous down the right side, and delivered a number of low crosses and cutbacks that were dealt with well.
Facundo Buonanotte came close to a winner in the 85th minute, when he curled a long-range effort just wide of goal.
Oleksii Kashchuk nearly stole it for Qarabag in injury-time, but fired straight at Sanchez from close range, before Garnacho’s acrobatic effort was saved at the other end.
The third didn’t come for Maresca’s side, and they settled for a point against one of the surprise packages of this season’s Champions League competition.
**Chelsea:** Sanchez, James, Tosin, Hato, Cucurella, Lavia (Caicedo 7), Andrey Santos (Fernandez 45), Estevao, Joao Pedro (Buonanotte 71), Gittens (Garnacho 45), George (Delap 45).
Subs not used: Jorgensen, Merrick, Acheampong, Chalobah, Gusto, Fofana, Guiu.
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