Garnacho saved Chelsea from a crushing defeat against

Qarabag were undoubtedly the happier team after this thrilling 2-2 draw. In contrast, Chelsea were simply grateful that their 5,000-mile trip to Azerbaijan didn't end in a major embarrassment. Even with the introduction of the brilliant Estêvão Willian, they couldn't control their opponents even once, and it wasn't ideal that Maresca had to make three changes while his players were completely injured and heading for defeat after a poor first half.

Bringing on Enzo Fernandez, Liam Delap, and Alejandro Garnacho so early wasn't part of the plan, and it's unlikely Joao Pedro would have played 71 minutes. Although Chelsea wanted to rest tired players, morale plummets when their teammates are on the field. Jorel Hato suffered a crushing loss in central defense, and Maresca spared no effort in bringing on Andre Santos, Jamie Gittens, and Tyreeq George at halftime.

Romeo Lavia was already out with an injury, ending hopes of resting Moises Caicedo in midfield. Chelsea suffered the consequences. Garnacho salvaged a point, but the draw casts doubt on their hopes of finishing in the top eight in the league stage.

Tied with Qarabag with seven points from four matches, Chelsea know more challenges lie ahead. Barcelona visit Stamford Bridge next month. The trips to Atalanta and Napoli will present further challenges.

Qarabag have made remarkable progress under their long-time coach, Gurban Gurbanov. Their fast and adventurous football was a joy to watch, and Maresca almost regretted the decision to make seven changes to manage his busy schedule.

A sign of change. Qarabag were fearless, and Chelsea didn't have to deal with the noise coming from the stands, where some home fans stood in the aisles, further disrupting the atmosphere.

Then the chaos began. Despite a starting lineup with an average age of 23 years and 97 days, Chelsea had the second-youngest squad of any English club in any Champions League away match. This lack of experience explains why these players have difficulty maintaining concentration. This was also the case last week when they nearly squandered a 3-0 lead against Wolves.

Maresca needs to trust them more. He doesn't want to rely too heavily on Caicedo and Fernandez, but Dario Essugo is absent for a long time and Lavia may not be fit. Maresca said, "The Club World Cup affected us a lot," indicating that Chelsea's long summer has taken a toll on them physically.

Chelsea were already without Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Pedro Neto. Even after bringing in Caicedo, they were uncertain. Qarabag went forward and targeted the unfamiliar pairing of Hato and Tosin Adarabioyo, who did nothing to support their younger teammates.

Hato's struggles were difficult to watch. The 19-year-old nearly missed an early penalty, which Camilo Duran converted before Leandro Andrade's equalizer, and it was his fault that Qarabag went ahead. Maresca admitted, "It's stupid to lose a goal." Qarabag took the lead when Hato lost possession and handled Andrade's cross, allowing Marko Jankovic to send Robert Sanchez the wrong way from the spot, making it 2-1. Chelsea were stunned. They took the lead in the 16th minute. Joao Pedro played a clever pass to Santos, the midfielder passed to Estevao, and the winger, whose performance on the right was one of the few positives, fired a low shot inside Mateusz Kochalski's near post. This goal should have given Chelsea the equaliser. But instead, the score became 1-1 when Hato failed to handle a long ball and Andrade deflected Duran's effort into the net. Chelsea were wide open. Garnacho scored the equaliser from the edge of the area, but either team could have won. Qarabag nearly secured the biggest win in their history when substitute Danny Bolt tested Sanchez in extra time.

It was a lot of fun. Estevao's footwork troubled Qarabag.