Soccer/UEFA Champions League/last 16: Barcelona 2; Chelsea 1: It had been over three years since Jose Mourinho had lost two matches in a row, but the Chelsea manager may yet bless a defeat here that follows the FA Cup failure at Newcastle United.

Didier Drogba's second booking for an ill-advised challenge left Chelsea, who were then 1-0 ahead, to see out the remaining 34 minutes of the game with 10 men.

The young substitute Maxi then scored one goal and made another, but Mourinho's formidable group still showed defiance to leave themselves well-placed for the return leg.

European football ought to be an antidote to insularity. How could Chelsea sink into depression over the injuries to first Arjen Robben and now Wayne Bridge when Barcelona have lost four players with cruciate damage alone this season?

With Damien Duff recovered from the knock he sustained at St James' Park, the visitors' line-up was well-equipped and, before long, demonstrated the fact.

While they did not even try to attempt the rhythms and subtleties of Barcelona, they went much of the way, in the first half, towards proving themselves a more rounded side.

Better still, Chelsea were in front in the 33rd minute. It was wonderfully worked, with an economy that indicted Barcelona for over-elaboration.

Frank Lampard released the perfect pass that found Duff onside and racing at full-tilt on the right. The Dubliner controlled the ball beautifully and outpaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst and steered the telling cut-back that would have been turned in by Drogba had Juliano Belletti not put the ball into his own net as he strove to remedy a desperate situation.

That was vintage counter-attacking by Chelsea, and they were almost as devastating two minutes later.

It was no surprise to witness Claude Makelele make an interception, but his bending delivery to the wing was ravishingly unpredictable. Barcelona were virtually paralysed as Drogba surged through from the right, only to fire wide.

All the same, Chelsea's sturdiness more than their guile had been accentuated earlier in the half while Frank Rijkaard's side had the futile advantage of accounting for 64 per cent of the possession.

They are a flawed side, but one or two individualists like Ronaldinho and Eto'o have the sheen to distract attention from dents in the Barcelona bodywork.

Even when feeling harassed and overworked, Chelsea were not subservient.

A hard challenge by John Terry that dumped Eto'o and then let the captain show off his distribution had no special consequences, since the incident took place on the halfway line, but no one could then suffer from the misapprehension that the visitors were in a state of trepidation.

Barcelona needed some outside agency to come to their aid and, surprisingly, the imprudence of a Chelsea player rescued them.

Drogba ought to have been given pause for thought when he was booked by the Swedish referee, Anders Frisk, in the first half for a challenge on Rafael Marquez that would have been unexceptional in the Premiership.

There are different protocols at work in the Champions League, as the Ivory Coast forward should have realised.

With 56 minutes gone, Belletti attempted adventurously to pass back to Victor Valdes.

The temptation was too much for Drogba, who went in with studs raised, and even though the goalkeeper did not have secure possession a bookable offence ensured Drogba's dismissal.

That did not solve all of Rijkaard's problems, so he sent on two forwards, withdrawing Ludovic Giuly and the defensive midfielder Albertini.

Chelsea coped for a while, with Terry, for instance, hurrying one of the substitutes, Iniesta, so that he pulled a shot wide. The other newcomer, however, could not be thwarted, even though he was a 20-year-old from another continent making only his second appearance for Barcelona.

The Argentinian Maxi Lopez, bought from River Plate during the winter break, claimed his first goal for the club in the 66th minute. It was wonderfully created with the sheer speed and accuracy of the passes by Ronaldinho and Eto'o keeping the ball out of the defence's reach before the forward overwhelmed Gallas and finished with a rising drive.

Chelsea were buckling, and Maxi again contributed devastatingly in the 73rd minute. His miss-hit shot from the right was fiercely driven and Eto'o pounced between Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira to force it home first time.

Mourinho's side had looked invulnerable for much of the night, but this match eventually became an exercise in damage limitation.

BARCELONA: Valdes, Belletti (Gerard 85), Marquez, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst, Xavi, Deco, Albertini (Iniesta 57), Giuly (Maxi Lopez 64), Ronaldinho, Eto'o. Subs Not Used: Jorquera, Sylvinho, Fernando, Abella Perez. Goals: Maxi Lopez 66, Eto'o 73.

CHELSEA: Cech, Terry, Paulo Ferreira, Gallas, Ricardo Carvalho, Makelele, Lampard, Cole (Johnson 70), Duff (Gudjohnsen 76), Tiago (Smertin 90), Drogba. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Kezman, Geremi, Nuno Morais. Sent Off: Drogba (56). Booked: Drogba. Goals: Belletti 33 og.

Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden).