Chelsea have it all to do as fluke catches Kepa in a flap 2 2
CHELSEA must beat Lille in their final group game to be certain of reaching the last 16 after a fluked effort from Daniel Wass late on earned Valencia a draw in a thrilling encounter in the Mestalla.
The Blues, who saw striker Tammy Abraham helped off (right) after a nastylooking fall, started brightly but found themselves behind when Carlos Soler flicked Rodrigo Moreno’s cross beyond goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga five minutes before the break.
Their lead, however, proved to be short-lived and Chelsea were back on level terms in less than a minute when Mateo Kovacic, with his first goal for the club in 71 appearances, fired a low effort past Jasper Cillessen.
Frank Lampard’s men then found themselves in front five minutes after the restart as Christian Pulisic turned in Kurt Zouma’s knockdown.
The assistant referee raised his offside flag but after a lengthy VAR check the goal was awarded. Valencia rallied and Blues midfielder Jorginho was lucky to escape a second booking and early bath when conceding a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Jose Gaya.
After another VAR check, the penalty was allowed but Daniel Parejo’s spot-kick was brilliantly pushed away by Kepa.
There were numerous chances at both ends in a breathless encounter but it was a fortuitous effort that drew Valencia level as Wass fired his cross high over Kepa and into the far corner.
In a frantic finale, Zouma had a late header cleared off the line while, at the other end, Moreno’s glaring miss at the death left the hosts kicking themselves.