Eden Hazard scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tonight to snatch them an aggregate win over Sparta Prague in the Europa League last 32.
Having entered the match with a one-goal deficit, the Czechs levelled the contest courtesy of David Lafata's 17th-minute goal.
With the tie poised for extra time, substitute Hazard netted a wonderful individual effort to salvage Chelsea's European campaign.
Below, Sports Mole analyses whether the result was reflective of the action in West London.
Match statistics
Chelsea:
Shots: 18
On target: 7
Possession: 47%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 11
Sparta:
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 53%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 20
Was the result fair?
It probably could not be argued that Chelsea were deserving qualifiers based on the whole of the two-legged tie, but the nature of the defeat was unjustly cruel on Sparta. To come so close will hurt the Czechs.
Chelsea's performance
They may have trailed for 73 minutes, but Chelsea's performance was encouraging in all but one department - their finishing. Fernando Torres was the main culprit in front of goal, spurning five or six opportunities. Had it not been for his wastefulness and some excellent goalkeeping from Tomas Vaclik, the score could have been more flattering in Chelsea's favour. On a different note, captain John Terry will not be pleased with the way in which his defence daydreamed for Prague's goal.
Sparta's performance
After seeing them create little or nothing in the first leg, Chelsea are likely to have been surprised by the frequency and confidence with which the visitors attacked. Vaclav Kadlec was a particular nuisance for those Blues defenders who may have been expecting a quiet night. Like the hosts though, their finishing was often wild and prevented them from establishing a two-goal lead which would have really set the cat among the Chelsea pigeons.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Tomas Vaclik: The Prague goalkeeper produced a trio of fantastic saves, from Juan Mata, Torres and Terry respectively to maintain his side's lead and hope of a memorable result. It was not to be for Vaclik, though, who was unfortunate to be on the losing side.
Biggest gaffe
One of Torres's many misses. It feels unfair to jump on the bandwagon in criticising the Spaniard, but he does not help himself with finishing like he showed tonight. His miss from six yards in the first half stands out.
Referee's performance
Until a flurry of late bookings, Aleksandar Stavrev only went to his pocket when necessary and correctly waved away a Torres penalty shout in the first half. He had a night out of the spotlight, apart from when he needed to receive medical treatment from the Chelsea physio for a cut on his hand. Don't worry, he accounted for the stoppage in injury time.
What next?
Chelsea: A visit to Premier League champions Manchester City, where a win would go some way to correcting their stuttering domestic campaign.
Sparta: Their first Czech league fixture in over two months - at home against Slovacko on Sunday.
No Data Analysis info
