Alejandro Garnacho’s equaliser rescued Chelsea from defeat, sealing a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League in Baku

Alejandro Garnacho spared Chelsea a humiliating Champions League defeat on Wednesday as his equaliser secured a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Baku.

Also read: Chelsea Boss Maresca Laments Missed Chances in Qarabag Draw

Enzo Maresca’s side, fielding a youthful and rotated team, were in danger of a stunning loss after falling behind in the first half despite taking an early lead through Estevao Willian.

The 18-year-old Brazilian gave Chelsea the advantage in the 16th minute, latching onto Andrey Santos’ clever pass before driving low past Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski at the near post.

It was Estevao’s fourth goal of the season, making him the third-youngest player in Champions League history to score in his first two starts — behind Ethan Nwaneri and Kylian Mbappé.

However, defensive lapses soon undermined the visitors.

Leandro Andrade levelled for Qarabag after Camilo Duran’s shot rebounded off the post, before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty following a handball by Jorrel Hato, leaving Chelsea trailing 2-1 at the break.

Maresca responded decisively, introducing Alejandro Garnacho, Enzo Fernández, and Liam Delap after the interval.

The changes sparked life into Chelsea’s attack, with Garnacho — signed from Manchester United in August — thundering home a fierce strike from the edge of the area to restore parity.

The 21-year-old’s composed finish rescued a point for the Blues, marking his second goal since arriving in west London.

Chelsea pressed for a winner, with Fernández forcing Kochalski into a smart save and later firing narrowly over, but Qarabag held firm to claim a famous draw.

The result leaves both sides on seven points from four matches, still in contention for a top-eight finish that would guarantee automatic qualification for the last 16.

For all Chelsea’s lavish spending — over £1.5 billion in the past three seasons — the Blues remain without an away victory in the Champions League since October 2022.

Qarabag, whose entire transfer spend since 2020 totals under £7 million, once again proved they are no pushovers in Europe, having already beaten Copenhagen and Benfica in this season’s competition.

Also read: Chelsea Boss Maresca Laments Missed Chances in Qarabag Draw

Chelsea now turn their attention to the Premier League, with just 72 hours to recover before hosting Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.