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.

Only time will tell if this was just a blip or the sign of problems to come; but Chelsea fans streamed out of Stamford Bridge with a weary look on their faces for the first time this season — although perhaps comforted by the fact that both City and Arsenal supporters will be feeling exactly the same way this morning.

Only 24 hours after Arsenal lost miserably to another German side, Borussia Dortmund, it must have been particularly painful for fans in north London to see their former hero Fabregas so influential in a blue shirt early in this game.

The Gunners, of course had first option on the Spanish midfielder when Barcelona indicated they were willing to sell this summer, but, for reasons that are becoming increasingly difficult to understand, Arsene Wenger decided he wasn’t needed.

The official line coming from the Emirates was that Wenger believed his former captain was too similar to Mesut Ozil and wouldn’t be guaranteed enough match time to justify a 40m Euro fee. But all the evidence so far this season is that Fabregas is a very different animal to Arsenal’s record signing who has struggled so far to replicate his top form in English football.

Against an impressive Schalke side he dominated the early stages, starting in a deep role — the position that Arsenal have found so difficult to fill — before not only knitting together everything in front of him but also having the tactical and technical ability to finish off moves as well as start them when required.

He did exactly that after only 10 minutes, and although there was a sense of fortune about the build-up — the tackle with which Fabregas won possession from Max Meyer looked aggressive and illegal — the way he swapped passes with Eden Hazard after that and then finished smartly past goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann was stamped with class.

Wenger may well come to regret his decision in the long term, not only because Fabregas could, surely, have added something to Arsenal’s team but also because he looks likely to be hugely influential for a team that are major rivals both in the Premier League and in Europe. His goal here was his first in a Chelsea shirt but he has also provided six assists in four games in league football to propel Chelsea to the top of the table in the early weeks of the season.

Fabregas was not, however, enough on his own to dominate a Schalke side who provided a stern test for Mourinho’s men, particularly in the second half as Chelsea found themselves pegged back. They should have been 2-0 up when Fabregas fired over the bar when well placed after 37 minutes, while Drogba — making his first start for Chelsea since returning to Stamford Bridge, and his first in the Champions League since scoring the winning penalty in the final in Much — missed two very acceptable chances in a disjointed and half-paced performance that makes you wonder if age is finally catching up with a man who has been a legend at Stamford Bridge.

Schalke’s key men were goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann, who made several excellent saves, and the influential Julian Draxler who wasted a one-on-one opportunity just before half-time but was increasingly dangerous after the break, culminating in a 50 metre run to set up Jan Klaas Huntelaar for the equaliser. Fabregas, on this occasion, was robbed of the ball in the build-up — illegally Chelsea complained — providing a sense of karma for the Germans perhaps.

In the end, with two efforts cleared off the line late on and Hazard denied by a spectacular save, Chelsea — who did bring on Costa in the end — will feel they did more than enough to win the match; but the nagging feeling that we have seen this all before last season may be enough to sow a small doubt in the minds of those who have tipped this team for imminent greatness.

One thing’s for sure, they will need Costa on the pitch at the Etihad this weekend.

CHELSEA: Courtois, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis, Ramires (Oscar 67), Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Willian (Remy 74), Drogba (Costa 74).

SCHALKE: Fahrmann, Hoger, Ayhan, Neustadter, Fuchs, Sam (Barnetta 78), Boateng, Aogo, Draxler (Obasi Ogbuke 86), Meyer (Choupo-Moting 73) ,Huntelaar.

Ref: Ivan Bebek (Croatia).