Chelsea vs Roma. UEFA Champions League Group C.
Stamford BridgeAttendance41,105.
Thursday 19 October 2017 16:06, UK
Eden Hazard scored his first two goals of the season, but Chelsea were still held to a 3-3 draw by Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Chelsea appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable win after strikes from David Luiz and Hazard, only for Aleksandar Kolarov to pull a goal back for Roma five minutes before half-time.
The visitors continued their fightback in the second period as two Edin Dzeko efforts - the second reminiscent of Marco van Basten's famous volley for the Netherlands at Euro 88 - put them in front.
However, Hazard was on hand to rescue a point for the hosts after heading in Pedro's cross 15 minutes from a time, a draw that keeps Chelsea top of Group C at the halfway stage.
The home team took an 11th-minute lead when Luiz, playing in midfield, strode forward and unleashed a long-range effort that rebounded back to him off a Roma defender.
The Brazilian, though, made no mistake with his second effort, beating Alisson with a delightful curler from 25 yards out.
However, Roma were causing their opponents any number of problems on the break, and Radja Nainggolan really should have equalised just past the half-hour mark, only to shoot too close to Thibaut Courtois when well placed.
The visitors were then made to pay for that miss when Chelsea doubled their lead eight minutes before the break, but again their goal was slightly fortunate.
Hazard picked up possession just inside Roma's half, before surging forward and playing a one-two with Alvaro Morata on the edge of the area. The striker then attempted a shot on goal that was deflected straight into Hazard's path, with the Belgian making no mistake for his first goal since the final day of last season.
That two-goal lead was short-lived, though, with Roma halving the deficit less than two minutes later after a fine run by Kolarov, whose fierce drive from just inside the area took a slight deflection off Andreas Christensen, with the ball looping in over a helpless Courtois.
And the visitors then turned the game on its head after the break, striking twice in the space of six minutes through Dzeko, the forward's 58th and 59th goals for the club in just 100 matches.
The Bosnian's first strike was a sensational first-time volley after being picked out by Federico Fazio's ball over the top, while his second was a deft header to nod in Kolarov's free-kick from the left edge of the box.
Chelsea avoided a third straight loss for the first time in 11 years, however, when the unmarked Hazard nodded in Pedro's right-wing cross to end a breathless night at Stamford Bridge.
The little Argentine was a thorn in Chelsea's side all night long, with the home team's back three unable to cope with his trickery and dancing feet.
And while the winger was not directly involved in any of Roma's three goals, his influence down the left helped create space in other areas of the pitch for his team-mates to exploit.
Chelsea entertain Watford at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, a match you can see live on Sky Sports Premier League.
