Chelsea held to disappointing draw by Qarabag in Champions League

Chelsea were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Qarabag in Baku as their hopes of achieving direct passage to the last-16 of the Champions League received a blow.

Things looked desperate for the away side when Marko Jankovic’s penalty saw them fall behind in the first half following a brilliant strike from Leandro Andrade that had levelled the match.

An early goal by Estevao appeared to have Chelsea en route to a routine win following their 2,500-mile journey to the eastern edge of Europe.

It then took a goal early in the second half from substitute Alejandro Garnacho to spare Chelsea’s blushes, and it was hard to argue they deserved more.

With one defeat already in the competition, there is little margin for error for Enzo Maresca’s side between now and January if they expect to finish in the top eight and avoid February’s play-off round.

It ends level in Baku. #CFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/7ICeEyLSDx

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 5, 2025

What they did not need was dropped points against a team which, according to UEFA’s seeding, are one of the weakest to have reached this stage, but an ambitious Qarabag looked anything but as they sought to keep their own strong start going.

The champions of Azerbaijan posed a far greater challenge than when losing 4-0 on Chelsea’s last visit here eight years ago, and against the tournament’s surprise package so far the Blues made a far from ideal start.

Four minutes in, Romeo Lavia pulled up with what looked like a muscle injury and had to be replaced. The midfielder walked off the pitch unaided but visibly frustrated, with yet another disruption to his Chelsea career looking likely.

Moises Caicedo came on and lashed an early chance just over, then Tyrique George – preferred at