excitement and drama in prospect tonight here at stamford bridge in west london my name is derrick
ray with me in the commentary position is the arsenal legend lee dixon and we've got so much
to look forward to this is where it all begins in europe's premier club competition the uefa
champions league the group stage match day one action really looking forward to this one lee well
derek i hope you are as excited as me to start the champions league always a special atmosphere
both teams will be hoping for a long journey or it may be very very short we're about to find out
and a look at the chelsea starting eleven antonio rudiger starts alongside thiago silva
in central defence and golocante starts alongside giorgino in the center of midfield and it's an
interesting looking attacking constellation with three forwards listed from the start
let's have a look at the initial 11 for the visitors
i'll tell you what you don't see this formation every day of the week no i mean it looks very
attack-minded with the three up front the three in midfield supplying the width as well but i'm a
little bit worried about the three centre-backs will they get exposed in the wide areas
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
aspie liquieta this is thiago silva
lukaku
are there to intercept
romelu lukaku a player who opposing defenders have got to keep tabs on
lee you'd expect that he'll have something to say for himself well i look forward to
winning balls he shouldn't because of that strength that he's got he's also got a strong
mind as well with a strong body strong mind you've got a heck of a player
moving the ball effectively my oral
good pressure high up the [ __ ]
mkhitaryan spinazola
now mkhitaryan that's excellent defending following the cross
what can chelsea do from this well that's a foul and it sets up a free kick in a dangerous position
the decision is yellow card the referee must have thought there was additional
cover there it wasn't the denial of a goalscoring opportunity well i'm
looking around for that man you're talking about derek he looks like the last man to me
well fortune didn't favor him off the post and out of play
well he's really unlucky it was worth an effort that's for sure
using his physical strength to shield it
pellegrini
can they forge ahead really important piece of last ditch defending
the yard
good movement
pellegrini cuts it back and there it is the breakthrough that will do nicely
well as we see from the replay it's a classic pullback cross that sets up the chance and to
be honest with you he's not going to get an easier goal than that a simple tapping
so the match has restarted one nil here
lukaku here's chilwell mount
just knocking it around looking to carve out a chance
oh it's a penalty in the opinion of the referee and maybe they'll be able to level this up well
that could be his final rebuke i think and the referees making that absolutely clear i like
that derek good refereeing nice and strong told the player exactly what he was thinking
and in it goes as coolly as you like never in any doubt from the spot
well here it is again you have to say you should score from a penalty but i've missed
a few of my time it's a nervy nervy moment for the taker and nothing to lose for the goalkeeper
even steven won a piece on this match for chelsea
he's in control of the situation
james
a really top-notch piece of defending
and so the first half draws to a close here in west london
he's been the standout for his side so far don't you think lee well he stepped up to the plate to
get that goal to put his team on equal terms can he produce a winner in this second and
so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
cars dock
now we've got a two he's very adept at protecting the ball
lukaku real chance
again that's two for him today they simply can't stop him no wonder he's celebrating
well here it is again you're trained from a young age to get in those sort of positions
and never in any real doubt he'd finish that cool and composed
well two one it is here
now the attack fizzled out
chelsea are really struggling in terms of possession but to their credit they've been
absolutely blistering on the counter attack they just sit back
hit you on the break and it's really working for this team losing possession a bit easily
penegrini
now chelsea in a position of menace is it going to be
and there is the goal to make it a hat trick excellence in finishing there for all to see
well here's the goal again and it's a great ball to put him through
and he chooses to use power in the finish not much chance for the keeper when he's
hit that hard slightly different vantage point in terms of the goal that was scored
so there it is 3-1 the current score line here
and 30 minutes left for play in this match
chill well
kante has it
what can chelsea do from this position has eyes for goal difficult shot to take on routine save
for the keeper yes the distance look how far out he is easy easy save in the end
vertical this is chris smalling well nicely cut out
making progress
a very effective challenge put in can they do something positive
on the counter attack and chelsea have given us away
look as though they had attacking momentum but not so they had a two
can't miss surely and oh it's in we cannot declare this contest over they still believe
well here's the replay and as we can see the defense can't cope with the through ball
and how strong was he here incredible to hold off the defenders and get his shots away lovely goal
well neutrals are getting their money's worth 3-2 in this match
can they exploit the space out wide they get forward but time is very much against them here
mancini
bruno perez
good defending to prevent the chance
well really fine goalkeeping good diving stop
a corner then and with time running out they've got to ask questions
well they have elected to go to the bench at this stage of the game
he's driven in the corner dealt with the
well it's the late show and they are level again
well here's the replay and they do say a keeper should never be beaten in his near post
and he's made that error and he's been punished big mistake for me
well another equalizer what a topsy-turvy game this has been and only two minutes remaining here
georginio
chelsea couldn't keep it and we are going to have two additional minutes lovely bowl over the top
opportunity it is still a chance now the attack will peter out keepers ball
and there's the whistle all even at the end of 90 minutes here