Garnacho spares Chelsea shock Champions League loss at Qarabag

Chelsea’s precision is nowhere to be seen when Enzo Maresca rings the changes. Chaos tends to set in whenever the Italian tries to freshen things up by making use of a deep but raw squad and he is unlikely to be in a rush to rotate again in the Champions League after seeing a weakened team fail to douse Qarabag’s skill and spirit on a raucous night in Baku.

There was no doubt Qarabag were the happier team at the conclusion of this absorbing 2-2 draw. Chelsea, by contrast, were merely grateful that their 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan had not ended in major embarrassment. Not once were they were in control against defiant opposition, even after going ahead through the outstanding Estêvão Willian, and it was hardly ideal that Maresca had to make three changes when his players went down the tunnel with their egos bruised and damage to repair after a shambolic first half.

Throwing on Enzo Fernández, Liam Delap and Alejandro Garnacho so soon was not part of the plan, and it is unlikely that João Pedro staying on for 71 minutes was either. Yet while Chelsea wanted to rest weary limbs their level dips when the understudies come in. Jorrel Hato endured a nightmare in central defence and Maresca was ruthless in removing Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens and Tyrique George at half-time.

He had already lost Roméo Lavia to an early injury, ending hopes of giving Moisés Caicedo the night off in midfield. Chelsea felt the pain. Garnacho rescued a point but a draw leaves their hopes of finishing in the top eight of the league phase in doubt.

Chelsea, level with Qarabag after taking seven points from four games, know that tougher tests await. Barcelona visit Stamford Bridge next month. Trips to Atalanta and Napoli pose further complications.

Qarabag have made huge strides under their long-serving coach, Gurban Gurbanov. Their quick, adventurous football was a joy to watch and almost made Maresca rue his decision to manage a draining schedule by making seven changes.

An upset beckoned. Qarabag were fearless and it was not easy for Chelsea given the noise pouring down from the stands, where the sight of some home fans standing in the aisles added to the air of unruliness.

It was mayhem. A starting lineup with an average age of 23 years and 97 days saw Chelsea field the second youngest side by an English club in a Champions League away game. Inexperience explains why the understudies struggle to maintain concentration. It was a similar story when they almost blew a 3-0 lead against Wolves last week.

Maresca needs to be able to trust them more. He does not want to keep having to turn to Caicedo and Fernández but Dário Essugo is a long-term absentee and Lavia cannot stay fit. “The Club World Cup affected [us] a lot,” Maresca said, suggesting that Chelsea’s extended summer has affected them physically.

Chelsea were already without Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Pedro Neto. They were uncertain even after bringing on Caicedo. Qarabag ripped forward and targeted the unfamiliar pairing of Hato and Tosin Adarabioyo, who did nothing to help his younger teammate.

Hato’s struggles were tough to watch. The 19-year-old almost conceded an early penalty, was bullied by Camilo Durán in the buildup to Leandro Andrade’s equaliser and was at fault when Qarabag went ahead. “They are silly goals to concede,” Maresca acknowledged.

Qarabag led when Hato handled Andrade’s cross after coughing up possession, giving Marko Jankovic the chance to make it 2-1 by sending Robert Sánchez the wrong way from the spot. Chelsea looked stunned. They had broken through in the 16th minute. João Pedro played a clever pass to Santos, the midfielder found Estêvão and the winger, whose performance on the right was one of few positives, fired a low shot inside Mateusz Kochalski’s near post.

The goal ought to have settled Chelsea. Instead it was 1-1 when Hato’s failure to deal with a long ball led to Andrade following up when Durán’s effort bounced off the woodwork.

Chelsea were too open. Garnacho equalised when he drilled in from the edge of the area but either side could have won it. Qarabag almost recorded the biggest win in their history when Dani Bolt, the substitute, tested Sánchez in added time.

It was great fun. Estêvão’s footwork tormented Qarabag, who needed Kochalski to make huge saves from Fernández and Garnacho before the final whistle drew appreciative roars from the locals.

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