The Guardian: Chelsea escapes shock defeat to Qarabağ

The Guardian’s latest match report focuses on Chelsea’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Qarabağ in Baku, highlighting how the Premier League side came dangerously close to a shock defeat.

The piece notes that Chelsea’s precision evaporated once Enzo Maresca began rotating his squad, and a weakened team struggled to withstand Qarabağ’s skill and spirit on a turbulent night in the Azerbaijani capital.

Qarabağ were undoubtedly the happier side after an exhilarating 2–2 draw, while Chelsea were simply relieved that their 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan did not end in major embarrassment.

The London club never managed to control the game against their fearless opponents, even after taking the lead through Estevão Willian.

Maresca was forced into three substitutions as his players walked off at halftime nursing both bruised egos and physical knocks after a chaotic opening period.

Spectators witnessed an exceptionally entertaining match.

Only Alejandro Garnacho, coming off the bench, spared Chelsea with a superb goal.

Yet the score could have gone either way — both teams had chances, defensive lapses were frequent, and Qarabağ seemed poised for a historic upset when they went ahead 2–1 following Estevão’s early strike.

In the end, Chelsea’s squad depth allowed them to escape Baku with a point, though the team knew it had been a gruelling battle.

Level on seven points with Qarabağ after four matches, the Londoners are aware that tougher challenges await.

Qarabağ, meanwhile, continue to thrive under long-time coach Gurban Gurbanov.

Their fast, adventurous football was a joy to watch, and Maresca may well have regretted rotating heavily amid a demanding schedule.

Qarabağ came close to the greatest win in their history when substitute Dani Bolt tested Sánchez deep into stoppage time.

It was a thrilling spectacle throughout — Estevão’s awkward yet relentless movement troubled the hosts, while goalkeeper Kochalski produced several key saves to deny Fernández and Garnacho before the final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations from the home crowd.

On November 5, Qarabağ delivered another impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League, holding world club champions Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.

Chelsea struck first in the 16th minute through Estevao, but Qarabağ equalised in the 29th minute when Leandro Andrade finished off an excellent team move. The hosts went ahead in the 39th minute after Marco Janković converted a penalty awarded for a handball by Jorrell Hato. Chelsea levelled the match early in the second half, with Alejandro Garnacho scoring in the 53rd minute.

The result leaves Qarabağ on seven points from four matches, placing them 12th in the group standings. Chelsea also sit on seven points, remaining close behind.

Qarabağ will next face Napoli away on November 26. Earlier in the campaign, Qarabağ defeated Benfica 3-2 in Portugal, beat Copenhagen 2-0 at home, and suffered a 1-3 loss to Athletic Bilbao in Spain.

By Jeyhun Aghazada