Possibly the most encouraging news for Chelsea at the end of a largely disappointing night is that when they set about trying to overturn this deficit at Stamford Bridge there may be no involvement for the man who likes to think of himself as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, superstar. There is, however, plenty to concern José Mourinho's team after a game that leaves the champions of Ligue 1 in a position of command.
Eden Hazard's first-half penalty at least offers Chelsea a glimmer of hope but if they defend this generously again it will almost certainly be their last match in this season's competition. The tone was set early on when John Terry's mistake gave Ezequiel Lavezzi the chance to open the scoring and the second-half goals that decided the first leg will also be of considerable dismay for the team that boasts the most parsimonious defence in the Premier League.
Laurent Blanc's side regained their lead through David Luiz's own goal and Javier Pastore added the final flourish with a wonderful solo goal. David Luiz's misfortune was considerable but Petr Cech will not enjoy being beaten at his near post for Pastore's goal and Chelsea ought to be perturbed by their recent habit of conceding.
Ibrahimovic’s participation in the second leg must now be rated doubtful but, all the same, there was still plenty of evidence that Lavezzi and his supporting cast are capable of causing difficulties at Stamford Bridge.
The Argentinian took his goal majestically and Ibrahimovic, in flashes, was a difficult and elusive opponent. One pass in particular to send Lavezzi scampering behind Gary Cahill was a reminder of the Swede’s uncommon ability to prise open defences.
On the flipside, there were moments that should encourage Chelsea before the two sides renew acquaintances next Tuesday. There was a period, for example, after Hazard’s equaliser when PSG lost their way and we were reminded they are still relatively new to this level.
It is just a pity for Mourinho that he cannot fully trust his front players. Fernando Torres was the fall-guy for what happened at Crystal Palace on Saturday, left out of the team in favour of André Schürrle. Torres actually has an accomplished record for Chelsea in Europe but his omission amounted to a public humiliation bearing in mind Samuel Eto’o was nursing a hamstring injury back in London.
The absence of an orthodox striker meant there were always going to be occasions when Chelsea looked short in attack. They barely managed a noteworthy move before that moment, after 26 minutes, when Thiago Silva dived into a challenge on Oscar to present the visiting side with their penalty. Yet they were marginally the more threatening team for the remainder of the first half and came close to scoring again in the 40th minute when Hazard sized up Willian’s cross and cracked a left-volley diagonally across Salvatore Sirigu and against the far post.
Chelsea, once again, had to show their qualities of endurance because it was a terrible start. They were losing before most of the players had a single grass stain on their kit and Terry will have to take a large degree of the blame, on the basis that a centre-half of his qualities really ought to have done better than presenting Lavezzi with the ball inside the penalty area.
What should not be overlooked as well is that the goal could actually be traced back to David Luiz losing possession in his own half. Blaise Matuidi crossed from the left and Terry, usually so assured in the air, did not get anything like enough distance on his clearance. Lavezzi controlled the ball on his chest, pulled back his left foot to take aim and the ball was still rising as it arrowed into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Lavezzi may not have quite the reputation of Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani but for long spells he was the game’s outstanding player. PSG’s front three attacked from every direction, each playing with a licence to roam, whereas Chelsea did not have that dynamism in the forward areas. Early in the second half, Lavezzi flashed a header just over the bar and then, after 61 minutes, David Luiz gave away a freekick close to the left touchline and Chelsea conceded another soft goal. Lavezzi whipped a dangerous cross into the six-yard area and the ball eluded everyone before going in off David Luiz’s shin.
By that point, Mourinho had accepted the Schürrle experiment had not worked and brought on Torres in place of the German. Yet the momentum had switched back to the home side until Ibrahimovic suddenly went down with his injury. It was obvious straight away that he was in some discomfort and it is tempting to wonder whether that ultimately might be a telling blow for the French champions.
Marco Verratti was also forced off before the end but Torres’s introduction made little difference and Pastore exposed some obliging defending for his goal, turning away from César Azpilicueta, eluding Terry and the substitute Frank Lampard before firing past Cech. As if that were not enough, Chelsea will also have to make do without Ramires for the return leg, suspended because of his yellow card for a first-half challenge on Lavezzi, Chelsea’s tormentor-in-chief.
