UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Chelsea 1 Valencia 1CHELSEA WERE denied a victory when the substitute Salomon Kalou raised an arm and handled the ball to concede a penalty converted by Roberto Soldado.
Valencia merited a draw that diminished the significance of the night for Chelsea and, in particular, for one senior figure. Frank Lampard had scored the opener, as if to prove his value despite the advancing years. Another old hand, the substitute Nicolas Anelka, might have restored Chelsea’s advantage but was denied by a block from Diego Alves. It had been a tense occasion, with Ashley Cole cautioned for an incident that followed the full-time whistle.
It was an occasion to rekindle memories even if the Mestalla was not quite filled to capacity. The early exchanges were misleading since Chelsea had a briskness that suggested they would gain control.
Fernando Torres was put in a promising situation after David Albelda had lost the ball but his control was poor and the centre-half Adil Rami was able to relieve the danger. Some still deemed it a penalty, but Chelsea did not seem concerned by the judgment of Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli.
There did seem then to be grounds for patience and optimism even if Andre Villas-Boas’s team did not look incisive before the interval. Valencia took encouragement and had surges of confidence. Perhaps, too, the players at the La Liga club felt as if they were tapping into a heritage. Valencia were Champions League finalists in both 2000 and 2001.
They continue to have a notable following and the stadium contained a growing sense of anticipation in the first half. In truth, neither the wealth of history or an abundance of fans has stopped them from losing ground on Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Chelsea are also members of the moneyed group and a fixture of this sort often sees an opposing club trying to show that they need not be inferior. The nature of the real relationship between clubs is demonstrated in the marketplace, where Chelsea bought Juan Mata for €27 million in the summer.
Perhaps the visitors thought they could impose their supposedly superior skills in this sort of game. This was just David Luiz’s third outing for Chelsea and while injury accounts for that to some extent there might almost be a sense he is better suited to the measured sort of fixtures that crop up in the Champions League. Two of the appearances have been in this competition.
Nothing, however, came to fulfilment in the first half. Lampard, for example, struck a free-kick that was well-executed but did not call for an outstanding save by Alves. Villas-Boas may have felt he had the greater work to do at the interval. Apart from anything else, Chelsea had shown some signs of being pinned down and that meant there were few moments when Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda could take the play to Valencia on that flank. The debate about Lampard’s contribution now that he is 33 might, to his relief, have been regarded as a secondary topic while the side as a whole was unable to impose its will.
The situation was to be transformed, though, during a vehement spell. After 57 minutes Lampard drilled Malouda’s low pass from the right into the corner of the net. By then, such a moment had been anticipated. There was too much incident for there to be no consequence.
Villas-Boas had, in particular, coaxed a more insistent authority out of his men. It was temporarily stalled by the sort of moment that saw Torres denied by the goalkeeper at point-blank range in the 52nd minute.
Regardless of the stream of incident that the match held there was just that one goal at that stage. Nerves twanged and when Petr Cech was left stranded on the edge of his area Terry had to deal with a cross from the right.
This was not the sort of contemplative football sometimes encountered in this tournament. Valencia were full of purpose even if it did not seem to be making a sufficient mark. Chelsea, for their part, did become a little more cautious and the right-back Miguel set up the substitute Pablo Platti for a shot that Cech tipped over the bar.
Chelsea generally protected themselves well but Valencia ensured that the guarding of the 1-0 lead was onerous.
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VALENCIA: Diego Alves, Miguel, Rami, Victor Ruiz, Jordi Alba, Ever (Jonas 72), Albelda, Pablo (Feghouli 72), Canales, Mathieu (Piatti 59), Soldado. Subs not used: Guaita, Bruno, Maduro, Parejo. Booked: Victor Ruiz, Albelda.
CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Ramires (Meireles 66), Mikel, Lampard (Kalou 83), Malouda, Torres (Anelka 72), Mata. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Romeu, Drogba. Booked: Kalou, Cole, Malouda, Mata.
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).
