Chelsea's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League were handed a major boost this evening as they beat Dynamo Kiev 2-1 to move into the top two in Group G.
Aleksandar Dragovic's own goal handed Chelsea the lead 10 minutes before half time, but the Kiev defender atoned for his error by levelling things up in the second half.
Chelsea would not have to wait long to regain their advantage, however, as Willian swung home a free kick five minutes later to seal a dramatic late win for his side.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether the hosts deserved all three points at Stamford Bridge.
Match statistics
CHELSEA
Shots: 14
On target: 5
Possession: 54%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 13
DYNAMO KIEV
Shots: 14
On target: 2
Possession: 46%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 18
Was the result fair?
The statistics above point to a fairly even game, with nothing to separate the two sides in terms of shots and little in it when it comes to possession as well. However, Chelsea held a degree of control over the game for long spells and certainly deserve to come away with all three points tonight. They were made to sweat for it in the end, and one can only imagine what was going through Jose Mourinho's head when Kiev equalised, but ultimately they got the win that their performance merited.
It was by no means a return to the Chelsea of old tonight, though. They struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half especially and still looked some way short of the side that romped to the title last season. However, there were promising signs and, while they got a stroke of luck with the opening goal, they should have been out of sight by the time Kiev equalised. Willian, Oscar and Kurt Zouma all had good chances in the second half, with the latter's being an absolute sitter.
From Kiev's point of view, they offered precious little in attack in the first half but did begin to carry more of a threat after the break. They created one glorious chance early on as Artem Kravets raced through on goal, only to be thwarted by Zouma, but aside from that there wasn't much to shout about other than the goal. The only other shot on target was a fairly routine stop for Asmir Begovic, and overall they can have no real complaints at coming away from this match empty handed.
Chelsea's performance
Be it on the field or off the field, not much appears to be going right for Chelsea at the moment. Mourinho was in desperate need of a result to ease some of the growing pressure on his shoulders, and he got that tonight. The performance was still a long way shy of what we are used to seeing from the reigning Premier League champions, but right now the most important thing is to pick up wins and they may need to grind those out in order to build a bit of momentum.
Chelsea enjoyed the better of the first half for sure, but they were fortunate that Dragovic turned the ball into his own net as Oleksandr Shovkovskiy had not been seriously tested up to that point and it was beginning to be difficult to see where a Chelsea goal would come from. Defensive errors have been a feature of their season so far, and Begovic was at fault for the equaliser, but perhaps the most pleasing thing of all tonight will be the way that the hosts responded to that setback.
With their current form and all the troubles that have surrounded the club in recent weeks, it would have been easy to let their heads drop after Kiev pegged them back. However, Mourinho threw on Pedro and Eden Hazard, and the latter in particular made a real impact. They were indebted to a moment of magic from Willian to clinch the win in the end, but there was an energy and buzz about the team in the closing stages that certainly didn't point to a side unconcerned about winning for their under-fire manager. There is still a long way to go for them, but this is a step in the right direction.
Dynamo Kiev's performance
Even accounting for Chelsea's poor form and Kiev's unbeaten record in the Champions League this season, the visitors certainly came into this match as underdogs. They played in that manner for the first half too, packing men behind the ball and playing a rather negative brand of football as they struggled to get out. That they had so much of the ball is rather surprising given that they offered nothing in an attacking sense in the first half, with Kravets ineffective up front.
The lone striker had a chance right at the start of the second half that he should have done better with, but that was a sign of the increased intent that was to come from Sergei Rebrov's side. Andriy Yarmolenko began to have a growing influence on the match and, while Chelsea were not exactly on the ropes at any point, there was certainly more of a threat from the visitors in the second half than there was in the first. Clear chances were hard to come by, however, which made it all the more important that Dragovic lashed home his opener when the ball fell to him.
From there, Kiev seemed to smell blood and actually looked to push for a second when they may have been better served protecting what would have been a good draw. There wasn't much they could do about Willian's winning strike, though, and ultimately it was that moment of quality that was the difference. Kiev can point to a number of factors which would suggest they were perhaps a little unfortunate to come away with nothing from this game but, over the course of the 90 minutes, they were second best and reaching the knockout rounds is now a very tall order indeed.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Willian: He has arguably been Chelsea's best player this season and he was the standout performer again tonight. Willian shone even before his late winner, taking on his full-back numerous times and putting some dangerous crosses into the box, only to be let down by a lack of bodies in the middle. It was his cross that forced the own goal, and then he capped off his display with a sensational free kick late on, the importance of which should not be understated.
Biggest gaffe
Plenty to choose from in this category. Dragovic's own goal was a bad one, with no blue shirts around the defender as he planted his header past the keeper. He did atone for that, however, thanks largely to a mistake from Begovic as he came off his line only to completely miss the delivery from a corner and leave his net unguarded. Zouma also deserves a mention for squandering a glorious chance from close range in the second half, putting the ball wide when it looked easier to score.
Referee performance
Pavel Kralovec had a fine game in the middle this evening. There were a few penalty shouts over the course of the match, but he got each one right. Diego Costa was furious when he was denied a spot kick right at the end of the first half, but he went down too easily and the referee shook his head. Kiev were also denied one when the ball appeared to strike the arm of Ramires in the area, although the replay showed that it had hit the Chelsea man's ribs. Both of those decisions looked as though Kralovec may have got them wrong in normal time, but the replays proved him right on both occasions. It is hard to think of a decision the Cezch got wrong this evening.
What next?
Chelsea: Chelsea will look to carry any momentum from this match into domestic matters as they take on Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday evening.
Dynamo Kiev: Dynamo, meanwhile, host Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk on Sunday as they look to keep pace with Shakhtar Donetsk at the top of the table.
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