Away goal gives Chelsea edge over Eintracht Frankfurt

Semi-final 1st Leg

Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Chelsea

Pedro struck a crucial away goal for Chelsea as Maurizio Sarri’s side came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank-Arena.

The Blues hadn’t fell behind in a Europa League encounter this term but were left stunned when the hosts, backed by a raucous home support, opened the scoring after 23 minutes. The excellent Luka Jovic once again underlined his credentials, brilliantly heading home his ninth goal of the competition from Filip Kostic’s precise cross.

That seemed to spark Sarri’s men into life and after some sustained pressure before the break, Pedro grabbed a crucial away goal to level the scores on the stroke of half-time.

Pedro beats the Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to equalise.

The equaliser seemed to deflate Frankfurt as Chelsea took control of the tie after the restart. But despite introducing Eden Hazard – a surprise exclusion from Sarri’s XI – with half-an-hour remaining, the visitors were unable to win the game on the night. The excellent Ruben Loftus-Cheek volleyed over from close-range, while David Luiz agonisingly struck the crossbar with a rocket of a free-kick.

David Abraham spurned a rare second-half opportunity for the hosts in the late stages, but that would have been harsh on Chelsea who deserve huge credit for such a remarkable recovery after going a goal down.

The Blues will now prepare for an important home Premier League match on Sunday with Watford as they seek a top-four place, before hosting Eintracht on Thursday, May 9 in the second-leg.

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