Genk hit back to deny Chelsea
Genk 1 Chelsea 1
Chelsea’s troubles continued with an unconvincing display in their Champions League clash.
Ramires gave them the lead with a tidy close-range finish under goalkeeper Laszlo Koteles after a glorious one-two with the otherwise disappointing Fernando Torres.
David Luiz should have made it 2-0 from the penalty spot soon afterwards but his effort was as unconvincing as Chelsea’s performance, and was saved by keeper Laszlo Koteles.
And Jelle Vossen calmly converted a Fabien Camus cross to level for Genk, who were much improved after the break.
Chelsea’s place in the next stage of the competition is not yet assured. But of greater concern to the club will be the behaviour of some of their fans, who repeatedly chanted about Anton Ferdinand in response to the recent incident involving the QPR defender and Chelsea captain John Terry.
Terry was left on the bench and his omission was expected and unrelated to the furore currently surrounding him.
As Chelsea prepared to kick off in Belgium it was announced that, after assessing a complaint from a member of the public, the Metropolitan Police are now formally investigating allegations that Terry racially abused Ferdinand during the recent west London derby at Loftus Road. Terry strongly denies doing so.
Valencia’s 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the other game in Group E means the Blues would have had to wait to secure qualification to the knockout phase even if they had won.
But manager Andre Villas-Boas would dearly have loved to get back to winning ways after two successive Premier League defeats.
His team started slightly nervously against a Genk side who bore no comparison to the second-rate opposition so easily thrashed 5-0 at Stamford Bridge last month.
The Belgian champions looked solid in defence and lively in attack, with reported Blues target Kevin de Bruyne and Kennedy Kwanganga particularly threatening.
But Chelsea, no doubt still slightly shell-shocked from the catastrophic second-half capitulation in the home humiliation against Arsenal on Saturday, soon settled.
And an uneventful first 20 minutes, in which neither side could fashion any noteworthy chances, gave way to an impressive spell in which the visitors could, and should, have had the game wrapped up by the interval.
Torres fizzed a shot wide and Florent Malouda’s run down the left flank almost forced former Portsmouth midfielder Anthony Vanden Borre to put through his own net.
The pressure was rewarded when Ramires coolly fired Chelsea ahead when he exchanged passes with Torres and expertly controlled the Spaniard’s clipped pass before slotting the ball beneath Koteles.
The Brazilian midfielder then had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 but headed narrowly wide from six yards and Raul Meireles went even closer with a stunning 25-yard strike that smashed off the angle of post and bar.
Luiz then wasted a great chance to put Chelsea further ahead when he missed from the spot after Malouda’s cross had been handled by Thomas Buffel.
Chelsea were made to pay for their sloppiness in front of goal as the hosts got on top in the second half.
Keeper Petr Cech had to be at his best to rush from his goal and divert Kwanganga’s shot away for a corner after a fine run from Vanden Borre.
And Genk deservedly equalised when a fine team move freed Camus on the left and his pull-back was carefully swept home by Vossen.
Chelsea regained their composure in the final 20 minutes and should have scored again, with substitutes Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard squandering two glorious opportunities to take all three points.
Strurridge missed the first, heading Malouda’s inviting cross wastefully at the keeper from six yards.
And Lampard somehow failed to properly connect from a yard out after a fabulous run from Sturridge.
Malouda almost won the match in injury time but although his shot beat Koteles, the home defence just about managed to scramble the ball to safety.
