No Costa so costly for Chelsea

Chelsea 1 Shalke 1

Seven-goal Costa, left on the bench for this game in favour of Didier Drogba, has been a revelation so far this year as Chelsea made a 100 per cent start to the domestic campaign and showed signs of real potential. But without him they slipped into the bad of ways of last season, missing a series of chances to win a match which should have been wrapped up long before Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored for the visitors in the 62nd minute.

A goal after only 10 minutes by Cesc Fabregas — his first since a big-money move from Barcelona — looked likely to catapult Jose Mourinho’s side to yet another victory having already won four in a row in the league; but two big misses from the ineffectual Drogba, two from Eden Hazard (one saved, one volleyed over) and one from substitute Loic Remy (cleared off the line late on) saw Chelsea frustrated and left Schalke celebrating.