Chelsea saw safe passage to the knockout stages slip agonisingly away as Daniel Wass' fluke stole a 2-2 draw at the Mestalla. England striker Tammy Abraham was taken to hospital after a nasty-looking fall on a night where the Blues thought Christian Pulisic's nudged finish would sneak them into the European top tier's last 16.
Abraham suffered a suspected internal injury after falling awkwardly on his hip, no doubt adding to boss Frank Lampard's frustrations as Valencia gained the greater boost in Group H from the draw.
Mateo Kovacic fired his first Chelsea goal on his 71st Blues appearance, cancelling out Carlos Soler's opener. Jorginho was lucky to escape a second yellow card and a dismissal for the foul on Jose Gaya that gifted Valencia a second-half penalty. Captain Dani Parejo stepped up for the spot-kick only to see Kepa Arrizabalaga pull off a fine save.
Maxi Gomez missed a hat-trick of first-half sitters as Valencia paid the price for shocking profligacy, but just when Chelsea started to home in on victory up popped Wass.
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2 mins: Willian heads over!
Lampard made a bold call starting James tonight and it nearly pays off. The 19-year-old whips in a superb cross to the far post and Willian gets up for it but heads over.
Decent chance that.
1 min: A fast start from Chelsea as Pulisic and Kovacic combine down the left and the latter earns a very early corner.
KICK-OFF!
We're underway at the Mestalla!
Tonight's referee is Felix Zwayer of Germany.
Photo: AFP
Here we go!
It's winner-takes-all tonight in Valencia. The players are out and it's time for that iconic Champions League anthem.
A reminder of what's at stake for both teams as the players wait in the tunnel...
- Chelsea will qualify with a win.
- Valencia will qualify with a win.
- A draw means it goes down to MD6.
- Ajax can neither go through nor be eliminated tonight.
Tammy's target
It's a big night for Chelsea and the man tasked with delivering the goals tonight is Tammy Abraham.
Photo: Reuters
The 22-year-old has found the net 11 times for the Blues this season but has just one goal in four Champions League outings.
With Michy Batshuayi knocking on the door for a start after some impressive cameos from the bench, the England international knows he must get firing again if he wants to keep his place.
Almost camouflaged by the orange seats inside the Mestalla, the Chelsea players go for a warm-up.
Kick-off is just 15 minutes away now!
Photo: AFP
Just look at that skyline. Oof.
What an arena this is. Fully deserving of Champions League football, regardless of the team's struggles on the pitch.
Photo: Reuters
Chelsea don't have the best win ratio when playing away in Spain.
But crucially, they've only been beaten once in their last 11 Champions League matches on Spanish turf - and are unbeaten in three visits to the Mestalla (W2 D1).
2017-18: L 3-0 vs Barcelona
2016-17: W 2-1 vs Atletico
2013-14: D 0-0 vs Atletico
2011-12: D 2-2 vs Barcelona
2011-12: D 1-1 vs VALENCIA
2008-09: D 0-0 vs Barcelona
2007-08: W 2-1 vs VALENCIA
2006-07: W 2-1 vs VALENCIA
2006-07: D 2-2 vs Barcelona
2005-06: D 1-1 vs Barcelona
Quite the welcome from the Valencia supporters as they greet their team outside the Mestalla.
Photo: Reuters