Chelsea’s gruelling 5,000-mile round trip to Baku ended in frustration as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Qarabag FK in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). The result preserves the Azerbaijani champions’ unbeaten home record in this season’s competition, while Enzo Maresca’s side at least halted a run of three successive away defeats.

The evening began on a sour note for the visitors when Romeo Lavia limped off injured just eight minutes in. His replacement, Moisés Caicedo, was quick to make an impact, firing a half-volley over the bar after a corner was cleared to the edge of the box.

Andrey Santos then spurned a good chance from close range but redeemed himself moments later. The Brazilian midfielder slipped a clever pass to Estevão, who cut inside from the right and lashed a precise strike inside the near post to give Chelsea the lead after 16 minutes.

Qarabag looked dangerous whenever they managed to push forward, and their persistence paid off before the half-hour mark. Camilo Durán shrugged off Jorrel Hato and rattled the post, with Leandro Andrade reacting quickest to slot home the rebound and level the score.

The hosts kept up the momentum, and Hato’s difficult first half worsened when he conceded possession and then handled Andrade’s ensuing cross inside the box. Marko Janković calmly converted the penalty, sending Robert Sánchez the wrong way to give Qarabag a 2-1 advantage at the break.

Chelsea responded positively after the interval and found their equaliser eight minutes into the second half. Alejandro Garnacho’s attempted pass was cut out by Kevin Medina, but the loose ball fell kindly for the Argentinian, who made no mistake with a low finish into the far corner.

The goal spurred Chelsea into life, with goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski producing a fine save to deny Enzo Fernández soon after. Chances came and went for both sides — Nariman Akhundzade and Liam Delap went close, while Fernández sent a powerful drive inches over the bar.

Facundo Buonanotte thought he had snatched victory five minutes from time, only to see his curling 25-yard effort drift agonisingly wide. In stoppage time, both Oleksiy Kashchuk and Garnacho squandered gilt-edged chances to win it, ensuring the contest ended level.

For Qarabag, the result marked another proud moment under Gurban Gurbanov, extending their unbeaten home run and securing their first ever point against English opposition at the eighth attempt. Chelsea, meanwhile, were left to rue missed opportunities — this was only the fourth time in 24 international fixtures under Maresca that they have failed to win.