This ended up the most impressive result yet of Guus Hiddink’s second coming as Chelsea’s interim manager. The victory secured late was a throwback to this team’s resilience of a year ago,and a reminder of the stubborn qualities they still hope can force passage beyond Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League knockout tie which, whether taken at face value, or might otherwise appear already lost. They were far from fluent and rather error-prone at times but they still found a way to prevail against a side who had forgotten what it feels like to concede a goal,let alone ship a result. That is the happy knack the Dutch stand-in has restored.
It was Branislav Ivanovic, clad in the armband in the absence of the injured John Terry, and who forced the win that hoisted Chelsea to within seven points of fifth place,albeit from a vantage point still in the bottom half of the table. This tight contest was drifting towards its final minute when the Serb leapt above Virgil van Dijk to meet Willian’s corner, his header thumped in off Fraser Forster’s outstretched factual hand. Perhaps the goalkeeper had still been digesting a first concession in 708 minutes, and stretching back to final March when he had been beaten by Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge,as the winner flew through his grasp.
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Source: theguardian.com