Chelsea narrowly avoided an embarrassing Champions League defeat on Wednesday night, as Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half strike earned them a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Baku.
Enzo Maresca’s side were staring at a shock loss at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium after the Azerbaijani champions overturned an early deficit.
Estevao Willian opened the scoring for the Blues, but Leandro Andrade equalised before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to give Qarabag a 2-1 lead heading into the break.
However, substitute Garnacho — the former Manchester United winger — came off the bench to rescue Chelsea with a calm finish that levelled the score.
The result leaves both teams on seven points from their first four matches, keeping them in contention for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16.
Despite Chelsea’s lavish £1.5 billion spending spree over the past three seasons, they struggled to overcome a Qarabag side assembled for less than £7 million since 2020.
The Blues’ frustrating night extended their winless away run in the Champions League to over two years, their last victory coming in October 2022.
Once mocked as “carrier bag” during their debut campaign eight years ago, Qarabag have defied expectations this season — notching a 3-2 comeback win at Benfica and a 2-0 triumph over Copenhagen before holding Chelsea.
Chelsea’s preparations were also far from ideal. The team arrived in Baku in the early hours of matchday, and Maresca made seven changes from Saturday’s Premier League victory over Tottenham to manage fatigue.
The Blues will now return to London to face Wolves at Stamford Bridge this weekend, hoping to regain momentum after another frustrating night in Europe.
