Chelsea survive late scare to beat Lille and reach Champions League knockout stages

Chelsea 2-1 Lille: Chelsea clinched their place in the last 16 with a win secured by first-half goals from Tammy Abraham and captain Cesar Azpilicueta

Another day, another scare. As Valencia were securing their win over Ajax, Chelsea were anxiously seeing out the clock. A straightforward win against a sub-par Lille was threatening to end in a draw. One which would have seen their Champions League campaign end in tatters.

Luckily, Loic Remy’s finish to cut into Chelsea’s 2-0 lead with 12 minutes to go was nothing more than a consolation. The five minutes of injury time that brought groans only meant the cheers upon full-time were that much sweeter. Just as against West Ham and Everton, they made it hard for themselves.

This time, though, they were able to nab the win and progression through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League confirmed.

As has been the way with Frank Lampard’s charges, they were excellent and wasteful, though at least ensured there was more of the former in their most important match of the season so far.

That was reflected in Lampard’s rhetoric going into this match which was typical of former player who thrived on these sorts of occasions. “I used to love big nights as a player,” he said, like a recovering addict reminiscing about highs now firmly in his past.

That’s the thing about the European Cup. Not everyone gets to sample it and even fewer know the buzz of its particular strain of success. Even on this night, with unrelenting rain roused by the winds and continually slapping you in the face, there can be a satisfying warmth to putting in a performance under the lights at Stamford Bridge.

For Lampard, orchestrating victories from the sidelines will bring a unique satisfaction, even if it did seem watered down as the 41-year old spent most of the first half laying off phantom passes whenever Chelsea reach the edge of Lille’s box. But he wants his players to crave these occasions and by embracing this one means there'll be more to come in the new year. Perhaps the performance that will buoy him most came from Tammy Abraham who put in a composed display you tend to expect from continental regulars, not a 22-year old who was playing in the Championship last season.

Before getting ahead of ourselves, it’s important to get the caveats out of the way. This was a Lille side who are deservedly bottom of the group and rested players with a Ligue 1 fixture to come on Friday against Montpellier. But there were nerves to be had. Not that Abraham played with any trepidation.

Maybe it’s the smile or his general manner, but there’s a ruthless geniality to the 22 year old that is reflected in his play. He's the sort who can do the dirty work without ever getting dirty. When he contested aerial balls with defenders, he somehow managed to not just get there first but bring the ball down or chest it into a teammate nearby.

Even his goal, which opened the scoring on 19 minutes, was a five-yard tap in from a stationary position that was the product of two selfless run: the first allowing N'Golo Kante to chest the ball down 20 yards out into the path of Christian Pulisic. The second created a lane for the American to burst into. A third, more of a saunter than a sprint, then saw Abraham get into position for Willian’s cut-back.

When Cesar Azpilicueta added a second, the result seemed academic. But it was no coincidence that Abraham’s departure in the 72nd minute opened the door Lille. His replacement Michy Batshuayi could not mimic the inconvenience of Abraham or his touch that allowed Chelsea to control the game in the opposition half.

Up until that point, the visitors had little to speak of. A counter-attack here, a surging run from Luiz Araujo there. Their threat was entirely reactive to Chelsea’s moves, which put them in a bit of a pickle when the hosts decided to dominate possession in their midfield three.

Jorginho, back in the XI for Mason Mount, buzzed around like an over-eager waiter going from table to table ensuring everyone’s glasses were topped up. Mateo Kovacic was his usual industrious self. Kante, typically, was everywhere.

Yet, still, there was an inevitability to the nervy finish, and it will not have done much to assuage the worries of those who feel this inability to close games out will mean a top four spot will always be under jeopardy and sustained success will require further development and investment.

Those, however, are tomorrow's worries. For now, those who left Stamford Bridge did so with the satisfaction of knowing the first big test had been passed.