The never say die Stoke City battled to share points in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
A lapse by the Blues inside their own-half saw Mame Biram Diouf nod home an 85th minute equaliser to cancel out a picturesque opener from Baba Rahman.
An early-upper hand was hard to find as possession frequently changed hands in the midfield. Lively displays from the likes of Willian and Xherdan Shaqiri were creating chances near the goal, yet Diouf let a number of opportunities go begging and the reigning champions lacked a presence to put the ball into the net.
Guus Hiddink’s men found the initial breakthrough as the halftime break approached, with Traore receiving the ball from Oscar at the top of the box then turning to unleash an unexpected strike which curled past Jack Butland and inside the far post.
The second-half brought more back-and-forth action with both sides combining for a total of 36 shots, prevented at both ends by a combination of last-ditch defending and expert goalkeeping.
Chelsea would not be able to hold out for the final stages, however, as Shaqiri charged down the wing after Willian had been stripped off the ball by Giannelli Imbula. The Swiss’ cross would be punched away first by Thibaut Courtois, yet only as far as Diouf, who made up for his earlier profligacy headed straight back into the net with five minutes before the final whistle.
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Formations
With one eye focused on the midweek European clash with Paris Saint-Germain, Guus Hiddink took a gamble and gave the in-form pair of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas a chance to rest. Traore was given the chance to build on recent promising signs with a starting berth, interchanging with Eden Hazard in a false nine role up front. Baba Rahman also slotted into the right-back position and winter signing Alexandre Pato was named as a substitute, still looking for his first minutes since moving to London.
Also having some fortune in being able to name a consistent lineup, Mark Hughes only had two changes to the squad that beat Newcastle in days prior. Marc Muniesa replaced Geoff Cameron at centre-back and the pace of Diouf was preferred in the striking department.
Wrong time for a Chelsea false striker
The use of Hazard as a playmaking No.9 is a tactic that has been used to some degree of success previously for Chelsea, yet the Belgian is at a much different level than that of 2014-15. He was easily bullied by the duo of Phillip Wollscheid and Muniesa before being substituted just after the hour, although Loic Remy could not find a sight on goal while he was on the pitch either. Traore scored, but only had one other shot on goal. Crying out for a deadly touch inside the box, of the total 20 attempts that the Blues took, only six were on target.
While Costa’s absence left a void in this physical contest, there were also a number of occasions when the hosts would have been begging for an incisive Fabregas ball from the edge of the 18-yard-area. Either Jon Obi Mikel or Nemanja Matic would kill the build up with a wayward strike into the stands, lacking the patience, vision and creativity that the Spaniard possesses when looking to pick out a teammate.
Xherdan owns the right
An exquisite look-away pass which almost unlocked an early one-on-one situation for Diouf gave the visiting defence a glimpse of Shaqiri’s intentions for the contest, never slowing down for a beat as he possibly hits his best form since signing for Stoke.
The Swiss winger’s ability to cut back onto his preferred left-foot while playing on the right-wing posed constant questions for the inexperienced Baba Rahman and created space for him to deliver 11 total crosses into the box. While one of these did result in the late equaliserit is a figure that probably would have resulted in more goals for the Potters had Diouf’s finishing been sharper.
Chelsea Conclusion
The order of Chelsea’s priorities was made clear with this game, deciding the rest the crucial influences of Costa and Fabregas in preparation of PSG’s Champions League visit to Stamford Bridge later this week. Considering how the other Premier League results went though this was not the best outcome, with the Blues pushed back to 10th on the ladder and seven points away from Manchester United in sixth. Hiddink’s unbeaten run now officially stretches to 12 games, yet there is still a mountain to climb before 2015-16 can be considered even remotely salvaged.
Stoke City Conclusion
Mark Hughes now has his team in the type of groove that the preseason spending showed promise of, with all the European experience present at the Britannia clicking together for some great football on the pitch. The battle for the final Europa League spot will continue to heat up for the seventh placed Potters, four points away from the six and next hosting Southampton, who they lead on the ladder by just two. The signs from Stoke keep improving, but will it be enough for European qualification in this most unpredictable season?
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