Hazard saves Chelsea the blues against a spirited Sparta

Prague was always going to be a tougher test than Brentford, but Chelsea made it a nervy 92 minutes for themselves. Sparta were clearly over the winter-break hangover that allowed Chelsea to bring in a 1-0 lead into this 2nd leg. Having rested the likes of Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanovic, the English side were expected to see out the night rather comfortably, given the way the 1st leg panned out.

Benitez will have Eden Hazard's sweet left-footed strike to thank
 for saving his side 30 minutes of extra-time and maybe even penalties against Sparta Prague

David Lafata, who blew a few big chances last Thursday righted his wrongs, when he smashed Sparta into the lead from 6 yards out after some good work by Vaclav Kadlec. Gary Cahill should not have allowed the ball to get past him in the 1st place, but the fact that both Lafata and Marek Matejovsky were unmarked in the box, is a matter of concern. Mind you it was the same kind of diagonal run across the defence by Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella back in September that cost Chelsea the points back then, Kadlec did very much the same, but the good thing is he did not get a chance to do it again.

Sparta looked more likely to score after that as Chelsea's possession did not count for much in the 1st half. Victor Moses looks to be more influential when he has the pacey Cesar Azplicueta behind, and likewise the Spaniard looks better in defence when he has the Nigerian ahead of him. Moses though, much like against Brentford, needs to find an end product. His ability to muscle past defenders is commendable (he dribbled past 4 players last night according to WhoScored); but he needs to pick out a Blue shirt more often, if he wants to clock up some assists before the end of the season.

Oscar for all his guile and brilliance, must be disciplined if he wants to keep his place ahead of an increasingly in-form Eden Hazard. Ryan Bertrand on the left, was not afforded the luxury Azplicueta had on the right side. Often left defending against more than one Prague player, due to Oscar's tendency to drift infield. Mind you, his driving run through midfield to setup Ramires' shot that hit the post was one of the reasons we paid so much for a 20-year old. To his credit the Brazilian did trot back to help out a few times, but Bertrand was being left a bit exposed, and let's be honest, right now its difficult to see him as first choice left-back when Ashley Cole leaves.

Juan Mata set himself up for a shot on goal in the 1st half with that magnificent touch that we have become accustomed to now. But other than that, he had a rather quiet game by his standards. And when Jon Obi Mikel and Ramires have a better outing than Juan, Chelsea do struggle to find the back of the net. But its just one game, so no problem there, Juan's earned the right to have it.

And talking of the defensive midfield pivot, Mikel and Ramires, as a combination had an average game. The Nigerian sat back, and allowed Ramires to make those runs from deep. And the fact that he was the most fouled player on the night, according to WhoScored, shows how much he will be wasted if given the job only to protect his centre-backs. His shooting has been woeful in recent weeks though, far from the Lampard-esque efficiency that we missed last night. Rafa's got a headache come Sunday now, as both Frank and Ramires are bound to play better with Mikel behind them, even though Mikel did not have one of his better outings.

It was good to see Petr Cech abandon the playing-it-out-through-the-centre-backs tactic, that failed miserably at the weekend. John Terry and Gary Cahill also looked to have found some kind of understanding, but the fact that Sparta were allowed to take so shoot so often is a bother. As the captain went for the ball, Cahill covered up well, the only blot being that run-in behind that to the goal in the 1st half. Lafata and Matejovsky did have chances on the counter late on, and to think if their shots were on target, Chelsea could well and truly be out of the Europa League. Come Sunday afternoon, the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero won't be as forgiving.

Around the 70-minute mark, you got the feeling that it was going to be one of those nights, that have been coming all too often at Stamford Bridge. Passes weren't finding their intended targets, while crosses were being overhit or not even making it past the first line of defence. Sometimes the post, sometimes even Fernando Torres standing in the way of long range efforts. Torres to his credit, made an effort to play and get his shots away, none of which were on target by the way. Thank God Demba Ba will be available on Sunday.

The focus shifts back to the Premier League, as a Round of 16 tie with Steau Bucharest awaits us in the 1st week of March. What was meant to be a professional performance against a clearly weaker Czech outfit, needed a dramatic last minute tie-clinching goal, that we very well know, wont come every week. Finishing off chances will be key, if we do manage to conjure up a few against Manchester City, who've had week to prepare for Sunday's game at the Etihad.