Chelsea’s blushes were spared when Alejandro Garnacho scored the equalizer in the Champions League match against Qarabag on Wednesday to rescue a 2-2 draw.
After falling behind in the first half, Enzo Maresca’s side was in danger of losing embarrassingly at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
Before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to give the Azerbaijani minnows hope of a famous upset, Estevao Willian gave Chelsea an early lead before Leandro Andrade equalized.
Garnacho, a former winger for Manchester United, came off the bench to save the Blues after the break with a composed finish.
Both teams are in contention for the top eight finish, which means automatic qualification for the last 16. Both teams have seven points from their first four league matches.
While Chelsea, the two-time European champion, has spent more than £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) on new players in the last three seasons, Qarabag has spent less than £7 million since then.
Chelsea made the five-and-a-half-hour journey home despite the financial disparity, still without a Champions League away win since October 2022.
Qarabag have been a surprise package in this season’s competition despite being mocked “carrier bag” on their subpar Champions League debut eight years ago.
They came back strong to defeat Chelsea 2-0 at home, winning 3-2 at Benfica, and then beating Copenhagen 2-0 in a close second.
Chelsea’s players were in Baku on UK time as a precaution to prevent the four-hour delay before Saturday’s Premier League game against Wolves at Stamford Bridge, which takes place less than 72 hours after Chelsea’s players leave London.
Maresca made seven changes to his team’s performance against Tottenham on Saturday in an effort to keep his side fresh because the Blues didn’t arrive in Baku until early on Wednesday morning.
Read more about [UCL] Flawless Arsenal Dispatch Slavia Prague, Extend Clean Sheet Streak To Eight Games.
Garnacho to the rescue
After a lively opening, Estevao gave Chelsea’s lackluster team a deserved lead in the 16th minute.
After being picked out by Andrey Santos’ pass, Estevao moved the ball onto his left foot and fired a low drive that beat Mateusz Kochalski, the Qarabag goalkeeper, at his near post.
The young 18-year-old scored his fourth goal in all competitions this year.
Ethan Nwaneri and Kylian Mbappe are the only other players in Champions League history to score in each of their first two starts, making it the third-youngest pair in history.
Chelsea was punished for their poor defending in the 29th minute because they had already made that promising start.
Camilo Duran broke into the Chelsea defense and sprinted inside Tosin Adarabioyo for a shot that was unable to land in the far corner thanks to Leandro Andrade, who had a skillful finish.
In the 39th minute, Qarabag regained control of the ball because Chelsea’s lack of experience was starting to manifest.
After blocking Duran’s cross with his outstretched arm, the hapless Hato lost possession of the ball and conceded a penalty.
Robert Sanchez was sent off the spot by Jankovic, leaving Chelsea a mess at the break.
The triple change, which Maresca introduced for the second half, immediately paid off.
For his second goal since arriving in August, the 21-year-old lashed a fierce strike past Kochalski from the edge of the area.
With a reflexive snap-shot that Kochalski tipped over, Fernandez almost emulated Garnacho’s impact.
In the final minutes, Chelsea laid a seige on the Qarabag goal, but Fernandez drained a close-range effort before Kochalski disallowed it.
