CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ACTION SPECIAL
But Conte and Co get a real Ed-ache
EDEN HAZARD scored his first Chelsea goals for five months – but Edin Dzeko nearly stole his thunder at the Bridge.
Hazard had given the Blues a 2-0 lead after David Luiz had fired them in front.
But Aleksandar Kolarov pulled one back for Roma before Dzeko struck home a fantastic equaliser on the volley.
And the former Manchester City striker then stunned Antonio Conte’s injury-hit side by heading the Italians in front.
But in a Stamford Bridge thriller, Hazard then struck again with a fine header to earn Chelsea a draw.
Alvaro Morata, thrown straight back in as expected after his hamstring problem, should have broken the deadlock within six minutes.
Tiemoue Bakayoko nicked the ball away from Radja Nainggolan, who would have been playing for Chelsea had Conte got his way last summer.
Nerves
But when Bakayoko fed Hazard and he played in Morata, the Spain star showed signs of rust by shooting straight at Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Conte complained he had to play Luiz in the engine room as he only had two midfielders available but none of them managed to stop Diego Perotti waltzing through and firing just over. The home nerves stopped jangling soon afterwards though when Luiz curled one into the bottom corner from 25 yards to put the Blues firmly in control. However, Roma were no mugs. They had won their last nine away games in all competitions, boasted last season’s top scorer in Serie A in their starting line-up in Dzeko and caused Chelsea problems.
But that 11th-minute strike from Luiz, who hit it sweet as you like with his right foot after his initial shot was blocked, left them stunned.
Thibaut Courtois pulled off a stunning point-blank save with his legs to deny Nainggolan but Hazard then made it two on 37 minutes.
The Belgian met a scooped Morata pass on the half-volley, only to see Kolarov pull one back moments later with a shot which deflected in off Andreas Christensen.
Chelsea had the lead but Roma had created most of the game’s best chances – and they came out fired up for the second half too.
Conte looked concerned on the touchline as Roma began to force his side further and further back.
And when Kolarov fizzed a dangerous looking ball right across the Chelsea six-yard box the Blues boss had seen enough, throwing on Pedro for Luiz. Bakayoko fired a shot from distance well over as Chelsea tried to rally but the visitors looked more and more dangerous. And when they equalised through Dzeko in the 64th minute you had to admit they deserved it.
Rally
Federico Fazio launched a hopeful long ball forward which caught out a back-pedalling Christensen and Dzeko punished him by smashing a spectacular volley past Courtois.
If that was stunning, Dzeko’s second, a glancing header from a Kolarov free-kick, was soft.
But the drama was not over at the Bridge with Hazard scoring again on 75 minutes, heading home Pedro’s cross to rescue a point. CHELSEA (3-5-2): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill; Zappacosta, Fabregas, Luiz, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard, Morata. Subs: Caballero, Rudiger, Pedro, Kenedy, Willian, Batshuayi, Scott ROMA (4-3-3): Becker; Peres, Fazio, Jesus, Kolarov; Nainggolan, Gonalons, Strootman; Gerson, Dzeko, Perotti. Subs: Skorupski, Pellegrini, Moreno, De Rossi, Under, Florenzi, El Shaarawy Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)