
Chelsea
struck late to draw 3-3 with Roma and put themselves in a strong position to
qualify from their Champions League group.
However, the Blues had led 2-0 and found themselves on the back foot for
much of the second half in a thrilling contest at Stamford Bridge.
Here we look at the talking points from the game...
Problems for Conte
All is not well at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea may have battled back from 3-2
down to claim a point but after a quick start, they were perhaps fortunate
not to suffer a third defeat in a row.
Antonio Conte has expressed that he is unhappy with his squad depth, as
exhibited by his reluctance to use back-up striker Michy Batshuayi in the
absence of Alavaro Morata in recent games, and he has cut a frustrated
figure in recent times amid reports linking him with a return to Italy.
On Wednesday, the usually passionate and animated Italian reacted reservedly
when Chelsea scored but more worryingly saw one of his teams concede three
goals in a Champions League match for the first time. It could have been
more.
Young centre-back Andreas Christensen looked nervy and the decision to move
David Luiz into midfield left the defence lacking a real physical preference
alongside Gary Cahill to deal with the impressive Edin Dzeko. Goals from
Eden Hazard rescued the situation but Conte knows he has work to do to get
Chelsea back on track.
Hazard back among the goals
Conte can at least celebrate the return of Hazard to the scoresheet. For the
first time in this campaign, Hazard found the net and scored a second with
an accurate header to double the number of goals he has managed in his last
14 games.
Although the Blues have now had 13 different scorers this season, this one
will be especially sweet for Conte, who will hope this is the first of many
for the Belgian who has had a fairly subdued start to the season following
the injury he sustained while on international duty in August.
Chelsea undoubtedly look more of a threat when Hazard is flying and without
him on Wednesday, they could have easily slumped to a third defeat in a row
for the first time since 2006. Hazard looked lively throughout and although
he still isn't back to the form he showed in the title-winning campaign of
last season, he was still Chelsea's most creative player, scoring two goals
from three shots on target and creating five chances; more than any other
player on the pitch.
Hazard was withdrawn late on for Willian, clearly tired from his night's
work, but Chelsea will need him fresh for the visit of high-flying Watford
on Saturday live on Sky Sports.
Chelsea's Injury woes continue
Despite the pre-game boost of Alvaro Morata returning from a hamstring
problem, Luiz looks set to join N'Golo Kante and Victor Moses on the
treatment table after coming off in the 57th minute with an apparent calf
strain.
This will cause more selection headaches for Conte, who started the evening
with Luiz in central midfield before switching formation to a more familiar
5-2-3 when the he was withdrawn early in the second half.
The Brazilian looked powerful but erratic in midfield, scoring a fine goal
but then letting Roma's willing attackers run too often.
The solidity provided by Kante has never been missed so evidently, with
Conte clearly not trusting Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko as an
unprotected midfield pairing. The Italian will hope Kante returns soon,
especially with Luiz looking likely to be out for the coming weeks, as the
Blues look to claw their way back into the Premier League title race.
Dzeko back with a bang
Dzeko returned to England looking like a man with a point to prove, bullying
Chelsea's defence for long periods of the game and can consider himself
unlucky not to be leaving west London as the match winner.
He showed a bullishness that was too infrequent during his time with
Manchester City and his first goal, a left-footed volley with the ball
coming over his shoulder, showed a confidence that comes with being the main
man, rather than a sometimes peripheral figure in the Premier League.
It wasn't just his goals on Wednesday; he got himself involved in the play,
he held the ball up and he used it well when he had it, completing 87 per
cent of his attempted passes.
Dzeko was the top scorer in Serie A last season in a league where Gonzalo
Higuain and Paulo Dybala shine for a dominant Juventus and Dries Mertens and
Lorenzo Insigne score freely in a frightening Napoli attack. He now has 38
goals in 45 games since moving permanently to the Italian capital, which is
a strike rate comparable to Europe's top marksman.
At the age of 31, the Bosnian is entering the latter part of his career but
as a player who does not rely on pace he could lead the Roma line for years
to come, especially if he continues performing as he did on Wednesday.