Guardian:
Chelsea 1 - 1 Atlético
Willian miss costly as Chelsea denied top spot by draw with Atlético Madrid
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
In the end, this was a result to be savoured only in Rome. Chelsea, held at home, had allowed leadership of the group to slip through their fingers at the last and, if the implications of finishing runners-up will only become clear after Monday’s draw, the potential of a collision with Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona in the knockout stage looms large. Yet for Atlético Madrid, the significance of another fruitless slog is far more serious.
The Europa League awaits Diego Simeone and his side, those heady memories of being finalists on the grander stage in 2014 and 2016 fading for all that their vociferous travelling support was still bellowing their defiance into the night sky long after the final whistle. This team may not have lost in any competition since Chelsea triumphed in stoppage time at the Estadio Metropolitano in September, but their campaign has been littered with wasteful draws. In truth, this was not one of them. Their lead on the night had always felt flimsy and they might well have been beaten, such were the opportunities passed up by Chelsea in the latter stages in particular.
Simeone turned swiftly on his heels at the end, disappearing down the tunnel in his frustration, while Chelsea players, just as exasperated, pondered quite how they had failed to secure the victory which would have secured Group C and rendered Roma’s victory over Qarabag irrelevant. “We more than deserved the win, and had some fantastic chances, particularly in that second half,” said Gary Cahill. “How have we not won it? We should have won...” The defender had been flanked by Eden Hazard, the game’s outstanding performer, in the tunnel as he voiced that disbelief to the television cameras. The Belgian at his side merely shrugged and, with a hint of a wink, reminded his captain: “We are a top side, we are Chelsea, we can still do everything.”
That belief will remain regardless of who awaits in the new year. It had been Hazard who had choked Atlético’s brief surge of belief here, collecting Cesc Fàbregas’ deep cross on the left corner of the penalty area 15 minutes from time before fizzing a low shot across goal which Stefan Savic inadvertently deflected beyond the excellent Jan Oblak. The visitors would have been aware by then that Roma, second at the start of play, were leading at the Stadio Olimpico courtesy of Diego Perotti’s goal, nullifying their advantage and effectively eliminating them from the competition. They remain a team undone by those inexplicable failures to beat Qarabag home or away.
With the puff having been knocked out of the visitors, the procession of chances in the frantic finale all fell to the Premier League team. Oblak, a goalkeeper “on fire” according to Hazard, had thwarted Álvaro Morata in front of goal as the striker prepared to convert Fàbregas’ square pass, then watched the substitute, Willian, undone by an untimely bobble to slice horribly high and wide as the goal gaped. When Chelsea had been trailing, it had taken Oblak and José Maria Giménez to thwart Morata’s attempt to stab a loose ball into the net from virtually on the goal-line. The approach play from Victor Moses and clever flick from Pedro in the build-up deserved better.
Davide Zappacosta, an uncomfortable makeshift left wing-back, and Morata had drawn splendid saves form the Slovenian international during a one-sided first half, while Hazard, tormenting Savic and Lucas Hernández, was a constant menace, maintaining the form which has illuminated the Premier League of late. All-comers will fear his impact in the knockout stages when the prospect of playing Chelsea, as Antonio Conte made clear, will hardly fill any of their prospective opponents with optimism, even if PSG have eliminated the London club in their last two ventures in the competition and Barcelona top La Liga. Either Sevilla, if they win their group, or Besiktas might be more appealing but, in reality, any tie should be cherished. The alternative, as Simeone, Atlético and Diego Costa would testify, can feel rather deflating.
The visitors had only really prospered in one brief period amid incessant Chelsea pressure just before the hour-mark. Filipe Luís suddenly planted a left-footed shot on to the post from distance, with Thibaut Courtois doing well to spring up, dive and claim Koke’s diving header from the rebound. Then a corner by Koke was flicked on by Fernando Torres, on his first return to the club with whom he had claimed a European Cup, with the ball looping to Saúl Ñíguez, escaping Tiemoué Bakayoko’s attentions at the far post, to nod unchallenged into the net. Conte was pained by the ease his team had been infiltrated.
Yet, once the hosts had rallied, the real pain was Atlético’s. “It hurts, and we’ve actually managed to get more points from the team who finished top of the group than the one who finished bottom,” added Simeone. “But no excuses. This is not a failure. It’s just a new challenge.” That was hugely positive spin. The test lying ahead for Chelsea is more mouth-watering.
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Chelsea 1-1 Atletico Madrid:
Stefan Savic's own goal cancels out Saul Niguez's header as Diego Simeone's side fail to qualify for Champions League knockout stages while Blues finish second in Group C
Atletico Madrid's players had to rush their pre-match warm up after their bus arrived late in west London
Saul Niguez headed past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after poor defending by Tiemoue Bakayoko
Any hope of qualifying for the knockout stages disappeared when Stefan Savic scored an own goal
Chelsea finished second in Group C after Roma's 1-0 victory over Qarabag confirmed a top-spot finish
By Matt Barlow for the Daily Mail
Tiemoue Bakayoko lost concentration for a fraction of a second and Saul Niguez slipped away to put a very different complexion on Chelsea's European campaign.
As Bakayoko froze, Saul dashed to the back post, where he connected with a corner flicked on by Fernando Torres and headed Atletico Madrid into the lead.
The goal, early in the second half, could not save Atletico's Champions League ambitions but it may have lingering repercussions for the Premier League champions.
Chelsea were able to summon a late charge and equalised when former Manchester City defender Stefan Savic deflected a low drive by Eden Hazard into his own net — and there were plenty of chances for Chelsea to win the game.
Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak produced a splendid save to thwart Alvaro Morata and Willian sliced over from the edge of the area when the goal gaped. Michy Batshuayi almost produced a stunning winner in the closing seconds and Hazard, inexplicably, drifted offside when he and Willian had the visitors stretched on another counter-attack.
So, Bakayoko was not the sole culprit and yet his error will loom large at the draw in Switzerland on Monday. It will also be lodged in the mind of owner Roman Abramovich, who was at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
Victory would have secured Chelsea first place in Group C and the relative comfort of top seeding when the ties are pulled out for the last 16, but the draw allowed Roma — who beat Qarabag on Tuesday night — to ease ahead by virtue of their head-to-head results.
Chelsea took only one point from two games against Roma and conceded six goals, a reminder Antonio Conte's team have plenty of work to do before they are ready to take on the best in Europe.
If Liverpool win Group E, as they are on course to do, it will leave the west Londoners with only three possible opponents in the next round: Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Besiktas. And, with respect to Turkish football, nobody at Chelsea is hoping for a prestige clash with Barcelona or PSG, who ended their interest in the competition in the last two campaigns.
True, Conte's team could have won the group and still ended up against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Doing it this way, however, venturing into the territory normally occupied by Arsenal at this stage, the odds are stacked more steeply against them.
At least Atletico will not return to haunt Chelsea. Diego Simeone's team go into the Europa League, having started the group poorly and failed twice to beat Qarabag, the minnows from Azerbaijan.
They arrived at the Bridge in need of a minor miracle. Not only did they have to win but also hope Roma slipped up.
Neither of those things happened but their perilous situation gave the match a frantic edge as the red-and-white shirts piled forward and Simeone rolled out his full repertoire of angst.
Torres, on his first return to Chelsea where he endured a torrid time as a £50million misfit, unleashed the first shot. It was deflected over but his assist for the opening goal must have been sweet; so, too, the warm ovation he received from a generous home crowd when he was replaced immediately afterwards.
Filipe Luis was another Atletico player back on familiar turf but there was no sign of Diego Costa as he counts down the days until he can play again in January.
Left back Luis struck a post in the second half and Gabi headed the rebound into the grateful hands of Thibaut Courtois, who spent three years at Atletico.
At the other end Oblak, who is on Chelsea's shortlist of possible replacements should they lose Courtois, was in brilliant form.
The Slovenian kept Morata at bay in the first half and made a fine save, low to his right, to deny Davide Zappacosta.
After the break, Oblak saved from Andreas Christensen and Morata again. Conte sent on attacking substitutes and Chelsea hurled men forward in a desperate bid to reclaim the initiative.
But there would be no winner and now Monday's draw seems a little more daunting.
CHELSEA (3-5-2): Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 6.5, Christensen 6.5, Cahill 6; Moses 6.5, Fabregas 7, Kante 7, Bakayoko 5 (Pedro 64), Zappacosta 6; Morata 7 (Batshuayi 81), Hazard 7.
Goals: Savic OG 75
Booked: Zappacosta
Subs not used: Caballero, Rudiger, Alonso, Drinkwater.
Manager: Antonio Conte 6
ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Oblak 7.5; Gimenez 6 (Vietto), Savic 6, Lucas 6, Luis 6; Partey 5, Gabi 6.5 (Correa), Niguez 7, Koke 6.5; Torres 6.5 (Carrasco 57, 6), Griezmann 6.
Goals: Niguez 56
Booked: Lucas
Subs not used: Moya, Godin, Gameiro, Vrsaljko.
Manager: Diego Simeone 6
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED) 6
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