It was not until the 85th minute that Stoke City, playing in funereal black rather than their usual red and white stripes, scored the equaliser which they surely deserved. A cross by the quick, elegant Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri from the right was only pushed out by Chelsea’s much-worked goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois enabling Mame Diouf to nod into the vacated net.
Even without their bulldozing centre back Ryan Shawcross, a talented Stoke team were very much a match for Chelsea. John Terry, watching from the stands, might well reflect he could have substantially strengthened a defence often at odds with a quick and inventive visiting attack.
If it was hardly a distinguished match, one in which Chelsea not only lacked Diego Costa and suffered for it, but brought on Cesc Fabregas just minutes from the end. They also, after 63 minutes, sent on the 6ft3in 20-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek — that rarity a Chelsea youth product — but when on the 82nd minute, he did get an excellent shooting chance, though a narrow-angled one from the left, he could do no better than fire into the arms of the resourceful Jack Butland.
As early as the 18th minute when each side tested its opposing goalkeeper, we could summise it would be a match of busy goalkeepers and many a missed chance. When Oscar, who faded out strangely in the second half, shot Butland dived on it. At the other end, a right-footer from Ibrahim Affelay forced Courtois to hurl himself at the ball to turn it for a corner. He was notionally culpable for Stoke’s equalising goal, but perhaps might be forgiven for the number of saves he had previously made.
No Costa for Chelsea, their leading scorer and most combative player, who had been suffering from a minor tendon injury and was no doubt being preserved for the looming Wednesday return game here against Paris Saint-Germain. In his place, Chelsea deployed the 20-year-old Bertrand Traore who, after a slightly uncertain beginning when he might have scored from a cross with which he made no contact, surpassed himself with a forcefully taken goal, the only one of the first half. Pivoting on the edge of the penalty box on 39 minutes, he struck an irresistible shot with the outside of his left foot. Even Costa could scarcely have done any better.
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Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic, Baba, Matic (Fabregas 82min), Mikel, Willian, Oscar, Hazard (Loftus-Cheek 63min), Traore (Remy 68min)
Stoke City: Butland, Cameron, Wollscheid, Muniesa, Pieters, Whelan (Krkic 75min), Imbula, Shaqiri, Afellay, Arnautofic (Ireland 90min), Diouf (Joselu 86min)