Match ends, Dynamo Kyiv 0, Chelsea 0.
Dynamo KyivDynamo Kyiv0ChelseaChelsea0
Chelsea twice hit the woodwork and were denied a penalty as they were held to a goalless draw by Dynamo Kiev in Group G of the Champions League.
Eden Hazard almost scored on his return, keeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy tipping his attempt on to a post.
Chelsea had a strong penalty appeal waved away when Cesc Fabregas went down after a Serhiy Rybalka challenge.
Willian's free-kick hit the underside of the bar before Asmir Begovic denied Derlis Gonzalez in Ukraine.
Jose Mourinho's side have now won just one out of five in all competitions.
Yet this was a much improved display on the European stage by the reigning Premier League champions following their 2-1 defeat away to Porto on 29 September.
Porto's 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv means Chelsea remain third in the group with four points from three games, one behind second-placed Kiev and three adrift of leaders Porto.
Relive the action from Kiev's Olympic Stadium as it happened
Mourinho spot on with tactics
The build-up to the game was dominated by Hazard. Would the Belgium international start after being left out of the starting line-up against Aston Villa at the weekend?
Hazard was indeed restored to the midfield yet Mourinho sprung a surprise by playing Kurt Zouma at right-back for the first time in a Chelsea shirt while Cesar Azpilicueta was left-back.
That was to nullify the threat of Andriy Yarmolenko, who the Chelsea manager had identified as Kiev's danger man.
The tactics worked a treat as Yarmolenko rarely threatened and the Blues turned in their best 45-minute display of the season in the opening half.
Fabregas played in a more forward role, Ramires showed great energy in midfield, Willian was a threat from set-pieces and Diego Costa should have scored.
Where does this leave Chelsea?
There will understandably be frustration from Mourinho and his players that they failed to turn their first-half chances into goals.
However, this could yet be a priceless point for the Blues in terms of qualifying for the last 16.
They are outside the top two qualifying spots at the halfway stage of the group campaign but two of their remaining three games - against Kiev and Porto - are at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will also be confident when they travel to Israel to face Maccabi Tel-Aviv, bottom of the group without a point, on 24 November.
Man of the Match - Nemanja Matic
What they said:
Dynamo Kiev coach Sergei Rebrov: "I am happy that we motivated ourselves to play against a very strong team. I think the guys deserved praise."
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho: "We are much more solid now.
"Two matches, two clean sheets. No problems defensively. The team was really solid and compact, the midfield really strong.
"We are recovering that compactness, solidarity, effort, tactical discipline - these qualities that are very important when you are not flying, you are not scoring goals, you are not playing with that confidence and attacking flair."
What next?
Chelsea's next Champions League fixture is against Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 4 November. Before that they face West Ham United away (24 October) and Liverpool at home (31 October) in the Premier League.
The stats you need to know
- Cesc Fabregas had more shots than any other Chelsea player (4)
- Chelsea failed to score in a Champions League game for the first time since April 2014
- The Blues have only lost one of their last 11 Champions League games (W5 D5)
- Chelsea have failed to win either of their two visits to Ukrainian teams (D1 L1)
Line-ups
Dynamo Kyiv
Formation 4-1-4-1
- 1Shovkovskiy
- 2da Silva
- 34Khacheridi
- 6Dragovic
- 24Vida
- 17Rybalka
- 10Yarmolenko
- 16Sydorchuk
- 29BuyalskyBooked at 65minsSubstituted forGarmashat 83'minutes
- 25González
- 22KravetsSubstituted forJúnior Moraesat 78'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Veloso
- 5Antunes
- 8Petrovic
- 11Júnior Moraes
- 19Garmash
- 20Gusev
- 23Rybka
Chelsea
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Begovic
- 5ZoumaBooked at 67mins
- 24Cahill
- 26Terry
- 28Azpilicueta
- 7Santos do Nascimento
- 21Matic
- 22Willian
- 4FàbregasSubstituted forOscarat 75'minutes
- 10E Hazard
- 19Diego Costa
Substitutes
- 6Baba
- 8Oscar
- 9Falcao
- 12Mikel
- 14Traore
- 16Kenedy
- 27Blackman
- Referee:
- Damir Skomina
- Attendance:
- 60,291
Match Stats
Home TeamDynamo KyivAway TeamChelsea
- Possession
- Home56%
- Away44%
- Shots
- Home9
- Away12
- Shots on Target
- Home4
- Away5
- Corners
- Home6
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home19
- Away15
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Dynamo Kyiv 0, Chelsea 0.
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Foul by Danilo Silva (Dynamo Kyiv).
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Oscar (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Hand ball by Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kyiv).
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Attempt missed. Willian (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Eden Hazard.
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Corner, Dynamo Kyiv. Conceded by Gary Cahill.
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Attempt blocked. Serhiy Rybalka (Dynamo Kyiv) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Domagoj Vida.
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Corner, Dynamo Kyiv. Conceded by Kurt Zouma.
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Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Aleksandar Dragovic.
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Foul by Denis Garmash (Dynamo Kyiv).
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Eden Hazard (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Denis Garmash (Dynamo Kyiv).
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Eden Hazard (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Offside, Chelsea. Willian tries a through ball, but John Terry is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Dynamo Kyiv. Denis Garmash replaces Vitaliy Buyalsky.
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Foul by Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kyiv).
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Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt saved. Derlis González (Dynamo Kyiv) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Andriy Yarmolenko.
Substitution
Substitution, Dynamo Kyiv. Moraes replaces Artem Kravets.