Hand of god saves Chelsea

Chelsea needed a significant helping hand to secure victory last night but few at Stamford Bridge can be expected to lose sleep over that. Gianluca Vialli will merely smile contentedly when he considers how different the outcome might have been had Galatasaray's goalkeeper, Claudio Taffarel, not been sent off.

The Brazilian's dismissal for handling outside his area in the 32nd minute gave Chelsea a superiority they looked unlikely to establish and a Dan Petrescu goal saw them through. Had Gianfranco Zola's late free-kick not hit a post Vialli's side would have enjoyed a more comfortable win, but they will surely have to take their chances better in Istanbul and Milan to come through.

Vialli knew his side had to win to stand a realistic chance of progressing, yet after the pre-match shenanigans it hardly promised to be an easy night. If turning Stamford Bridge into hell looked difficult for Galatasaray, they were at least expected to spit fire and brimstone.

Vialli made several changes, some forced, others tactical. Most worrying for the home fans was the absence of Didier Deschamps, the player with more Champions League appearances than any other in the world.

A mystery injury seemed to be the explanation, giving Jody Morris an unexpected start. Also drafted in were Chris Sutton and Gabriele Ambrosetti.

The England striker went close to a headed goal in the sixth minute - but at the wrong end. When the Brazilian centre-back Capone headed back across goal from Arif Erdem's corner, Sutton's attempted clearance forced Ed de Goey into an acrobatic fisted clearance off the line.

The game began in an open, exciting manner with both teams putting the emphasis on attack. No sooner had Dennis Wise volleyed at Taffarel than Gheorghe Hagi sent clear the dangerous Arif, who outpaced Frank Leboeuf but flashed his shot wide.

Wise forced Taffarel off his line and into another save before Chelsea's midfielder made an unlikely tackle which under other circumstances might have earned him a sending-off. Two Kurds, deciding this was a fitting stage for a political protest, burst on to the pitch. When one eluded a posse of stewards, Wise stopped him with a trademark clip around the ankles. A clip around the ear might have awaited Marcel Desailly at halftime after his error allowed Arif a clear chance which he wasted.

The drama took another significant twist in the 32nd minute when Taffarel was dismissed for handball. The Brazilian raced outside his area as Petrescu sprinted onto Zola's pass and, sliding along the turf, was adjudged to have used an arm to block the Romanian's shot.

The replacement goalkeeper, Mehmet Bolukbasi, on for Arif, was tested by Petrescu and Sutton, but Chelsea could ill afford to relax with Hagi around and he forced De Goey to tip a curling free-kick round the post.

If Chelsea expected Galatasaray's coach Fatih Terim to instruct his players to adopt a defensive strategy they were wrong. But Sutton should have scored when Zola's free-kick was headed across goal by Desailly. It fell fortuitously to Sutton, whose low shot was stopped one-handed by Mehmet.

The breakthrough, though, was not long in coming. Shortly after Gustavo Poyet had headed narrowly wide from another Zola free-kick with his first touch after replacing Ambrosetti, Petrescu finally breached the Turkish defence.

Sutton flicked the ball into Petrescu's path, and although the midfielder's first effort from just inside the area was parried by Mehmet, he picked up the loose ball, cut inside a defender and curled in a left-foot shot.

Zola might have added a second within minutes, but scuffed his effort wide and a long-range Hagi shot which sent De Goey scuttling across his goal was a signal that Galatasaray were not finished yet. Certainly Chelsea could count themselves lucky that they were playing only 10 men.

Petrescu headed tamely wide before Mehmet brilliantly tipped over from Frank Leboeuf to make sure Chelsea had to live on their nerves a while longer yet.

Meanwhile, Hertha Berlin and Milan remain locked at the head of Group H after they drew 1-1 at the San Siro last night. Hertha's Iranian striker Ali Daei put the Germans ahead on 69 minutes, but Oliver Bierhoff equalised within five minutes.

Chelsea: De Goey, Ferrer, Desailly (Hogh 62), Leboeuf, Babayaro, Petrescu, Wise, Morris, Ambrosetti (Poyet 52), Sutton (Flo 84), Zola. Subs Not Used: Hitchcock, Le Saux, Lambourde, Forssell. Goal: Petrescu 55.

Galatasaray: Taffarel, Fatih, Popescu, Capone, Hakan, Okan (Emrah 71), Umit, Hagi (Hasan 72), Ergun, Arif (Mehmet 33), Sukur. Subs Not Used: Bruno, Ahmet, Marcio. Sent Off: Taffarel (32).

Referee: D Jol (Holland).