Chelsea moved into the top two of Champions League Group G courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Aleksandar Dragovic scored at both ends in West London, first giving Chelsea the lead by nodding past his own keeper in the first half before restoring parity 12 minutes from time.
The visitors were level for just five minutes, however, as Willian scored his fifth free kick of the season to wrap up the points for his side and ease some of the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League clash between Chelsea and Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge. Every game involving the hosts seems like a huge one at the moment, and tonight is no different as they look to take a big step towards booking their place in the knockout stages of this competition. Kiev have the same goal, however, and come into this game one point and one place better off than the Blues in Group G. Let's start with a look at the two teams on show...
CHELSEA STARTING XI: Begovic; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Terry, Baba Rahman; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Oscar; Diego Costa
CHELSEA SUBS: Blackman, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Hazard, Pedro, Remy
The headline news from the Chelsea camp, then, is that Eden Hazard has been dropped to the bench by Jose Mourinho, and not for the first time this season. The Belgian has simply looked like a shadow of his old self so far this campaign, getting nowhere near the high standards he set on his way to being named PFA Player of the Year last term. Of course, he is by no means the only Chelsea player guilty of failing to reach those levels, but considering how big an impact he had last season, it has been remarkable to see him struggle to much this time around.
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Cesc Fabregas, another who has underperformed this season and was subsequently left out of the side at the weekend, is the man who replaces Hazard in the starting XI, with the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder expected to once again play further forward in the number 10 role. That could see Oscar drift out left into Hazard's normal position, while Willian, who has arguably been Chelsea's best player this season, continues on the right. Fabregas was this week forced to deny speculation that he was the leader of a player revolt at the club, and he has an opportunity to drive home those denials on the pitch tonight.
In all, Mourinho has made three changes to the side beaten by Liverpool at the weekend, with one of those seeing Cahill drop to the bench. He and Terry seem to have been just a yard off the pace in many games this season, often being forced to dive in the way of shots in an attempt to make a last-gasp block whereas last season they seemed to be much better positioned more often. It is a curious problem for a team who defended so well throughout the season, and once again Mourinho has altered his back line in an effort to amend that, with Azpilicueta moving over to the right, Baba Rahman coming in at left-back and Zouma shifting into the centre alongside Terry.
There were rumours that Ivanovic and Pedro could both be back in time for this match but, while the latter makes the bench, Ivanovic once again misses out through his hamstring injury. The third change for Chelsea comes in midfield as Matic, left out against Liverpool, partners Ramires in central midfield in place of Mikel, who is left out of the squad altogether. Ramires got the early goal for Chelsea at the weekend, of course, and he, along with Willian, has been one of the club's better performers this term.
Diego Costa once again leads the line for Chelsea having been a little fortunate to avoid further punishment over his kick at Skrtel against Liverpool on Saturday. Those two players have previous and always seem to be involved in a heated battle, and it was lucky for Costa that the Liverpool defender didn't make more of that kick. Costa didn't come out on top of that personal duel in the end, though, and he is one of many yet to hit his stride this season.
DYNAMO KIEV STARTING XI: Shovkovskiy; Vida, Khacheridi, Dragovic, Antunes; Sydorchuk, Rybalka, Yarmolenko, Buyalskiy, Gonzalez; Kravets
DYNAMO KIEV SUBS: Veloso, Petrovic, Morozyuk, Moraes, Garmash, Husyev, Rybka
Kiev also make three changes to their starting lineup from the weekend, with one of those coming in defence as Vida returns to the side in place of Danilo Silva, whose wife is due to give birth. Vida did play in the reverse fixture a fortnight ago, but he was on the left side of the defence on that occasions, whereas tonight it is expected that he will operate on the right, with Antunes continuing in left-back. Khacheridi and Dragovic resume their partnership in the middle, while 40-year-old keeper Shovkovskiy also starts again.
The other two changes come in forward areas of the field, with Derlis Gonzalez recalled to the starting XI in place of Husyev and Kravets playing up front as Junior Moraes drops to the bench. Moraes can feel a little hard done by having scored at the weekend, but manager Sergei Rebrov clearly feels that Kravets is the man to cause this Chelsea defence problems, having also plumped for the Ukrainian in the reverse fixture.
The danger man for Kiev, though, is Yarmolenko once again. The winger showed one or two glimpses of his quality a fortnight ago, but Mourinho stuck Azpilicueta on him just a few days after the full-back had done a similar job for Spain against Ukraine. Azpilicueta went on to put in a man-of-the-match display. but with him over on the right side of the defence now, it remains to be seen how Baba Rahman copes with Yarmolenko, who will surely fancy his chances more up against the summer signing.
Even with the threat of Yarmolenko in their side, Kiev enter this match as fairly hefty underdogs, despite Chelsea's woes so far this season. There is no getting away from just how poor tonight's hosts have been in the current campaign, and the difference between them this term compared to last year is almost unbelievable. Jose Mourinho is coming under increasing pressure and, while reports that suggested a negative result against Liverpool would cost him his job proved to be wide of the mark, another failure to win tonight would certainly crank up the pressure yet another notch.
The big question is how many notches remain for the Portuguese manager. You'd have to think that almost any other manager would have been sacked by Abramovich following a similar spell, but Mourinho's track record has justifiably bought him a bit more time. The sheer amount that it would cost to get rid of him is also sure to be a factor in the decision, but if reports of player unrest are true and if results don't show a marked improvement sooner rather than later, Mourinho's days are surely numbered.
It isn't solely the results that are worrying either. Chelsea have made the worst start to the Premier League title defence ever, but it is the off-field circus around the club that has arguably made even more headlines than their form on the pitch. Mourinho has already had numerous run-ins with the FA this season, even being slapped with a one-match stadium ban recently, while in the background the saga surrounding the medical staff continues to rumble on. In truth, it has been embarrassing at times from Mourinho, who has refused to show up for press conferences and, after the Liverpool game, refused to answer any questions put his way.
Of course, being liked by the public and by the media isn't what makes a great manager. Mourinho has been able to fall back on his triumphs so far during what has been an illustrious career, but right now those results have abandoned him to a startling extent. They are without a win in their last four games in all competitions, losing each of their last three including penalties, while victory over the Premier League's bottom side Aston Villa is their only triumph in their last eight outings. In all, they have lost nine of their 17 games this season.
Six of those defeats have come in the Premier League to leave them languishing down in 15th place, averaging just a point per game from their 11 outings so far. They are already 10 points off the top four and 14 behind Manchester City and Arsenal, with hopes of a title challenge surely over already now. They have conceded 22 goals this season, which is a tally it took them 28 games to reach last term. In all competitions, they have already conceded twice as many goals this time around as at the same stage last season.
Three of their league defeats have come at home too, which is the same number as the previous three league campaigns combined before that. Things aren't much better in the Champions League, with Chelsea sitting third in Group G having amassed four points from their opening three games - one fewer than Kiev and three behind Porto. They still will be confident of progressing, however, as they have home ties against those top two still to come, in addition to an away match against the whipping boys of the group, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Chelsea are, however, unbeaten in their last five home Champions League games and have only been beaten once in their last 10, winning seven of those. Indeed, they have only ever lost two group games at Stamford Bridge since the new format was introduced in 2003-04. Home and away, they have lost just one of their last 11 Champions League games, but that did come against Porto on matchday two and they have only won one of their last five. They have managed to score in each of their last 20 Champions League home games too, but only two of their last nine goals scored in this competition have come from open play.
For Kiev, they won't have many better times to travel to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are not in a very good place right now, and the Ukrainian outfit could really pile the misery on with another victory this evening. They are certainly underdogs, but they have already shown in this season's competition that they can be a force. They remain unbeaten and, as things stand in Group G, would pip Chelsea to a place in the knockout rounds.
Kiev currently sit second in the group, although they do still have their hardest two games - on paper at least - to come. Chelsea away tonight is by no means an easy game despite their hosts' troubles, while next up is a trip to the Estadio do Dragao, where Porto really are a formidable force. They will be confident of getting maximum points at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv on matchday six but, should they fail to get anything out of this match, then the group may just be beyond them by that stage.
They will certainly not be an easy team to beat tonight, though, and a draw would be a fine result for Rebrov's side to take back to Ukraine with them. Their defensive record in all competitions so far this season is impeccable, keeping 14 in their 19 matches including eight in their last nine. They have conceded just nine goals all term, and five of those came at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk in just two games.
They have conceded only five goals in their domestic league this season which, when considering their long unbeaten run came to an end recently with a 3-0 home defeat by Shakhtar, is a very impressive record. Despite that loss, they remain joint top of the table having dropped just five points all season, winning 10 of their 12 games. The slight concern may be the scoring record which, while not being at all bad with 24 from 12 games, is still 10 behind Shakhtar, who lead the way on goal difference.
In all competitions, Kiev have lost just one of their last 18 outings and only two of their last 28, stretching back to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Fiorentina in last season's Europa League. Indeed, that loss in April was the last time they lost to a team other than Shakhtar. In this season's Champions League they rescued a late draw with Porto on matchday one before beating Maccabi Tel Aviv and holding Chelsea to a goalless draw a fortnight ago - although they were saved by the woodwork on a couple of occasions in that match.
Cause for optimism from a Dynamo point of view should come from their away form, with the Ukrainian side unbeaten in their last 13 games on the road since that defeat to Fiorentina in April. They have conceded just two goals in that time too, keeping 11 clean sheets including six in a row heading into tonight's match. Their away record in the Champions League is also respectable in recent years, with seven wins from their last 17 outings.
Their overall record in this competition is not quite as impressive, though. Kiev have won only five of their 33 group games in the Champions League, while in more recent history they have won just one of their last seven. Their last defeat came back in November 2011, though, with Kiev without a loss in four since then, and they would certainly take a draw if it were offered to them tonight.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Stamford Bridge, which means that it is time for a prediction! Chelsea may be going through a tough time of late, but they really should pick up all three points this evening. They almost have to for their Champions League chances and perhaps even to save Mourinho's job. Kiev's clean sheet record is highly impressive, but they rarely come to places like Stamford Bridge. I'm going for a 2-0 home win.
Kiev have a torrid record in England down the years too. They have never won on these shores, losing 10 of their 12 previous visits in all. Eight of those matches have come in the Champions League, with seven defeats and just one draw to their name in that time. Indeed, they have failed to even score in six of their eight visits in this competition.
They had no problem scoring against English opposition last season back in Ukraine, however, thrashing Everton 5-2 in the Europa League to progress through on aggregate. That was only their fifth ever victory from 25 games home and away against teams from England, however, so even at home their record is not the best.
These two did, of course, meet a fortnight ago in what was the first ever competitive match between the two clubs, and it ended 0-0 in the end. Chelsea probably should have won that match, hitting the woodwork through both Hazard and Willian, while Kiev didn't offer too much in terms on an attacking threat at the other end of the field. Chelsea would not have been too displeased with a draw, though, as it puts them in a good place to qualify with twp home games left to come.
The players are out and the anthem has been played ahead of a significant night of European football for both sides, but in particular for under-fire manager Jose Mourinho. Can he stave off the pressure with a win here?
KICKOFF: Here we go then! Chelsea get us underway at Stamford Bridge as they look to leapfrog Kiev into the top two places in Group G.
Bright start from Chelsea as they immediately get on the front foot and win an early corner. Willian's delivery causes a few problems, but ultimately the attack fizzles out after Ramires saw his shot hit his own player.
It is Chelsea doing all of the early good work here. Kiev have been unable to keep hold of the ball for any serious length of time so far, with Chelsea dominating possession and enjoying most of it inside the Kiev half.
Chelsea have their first shot on target of the night, and it is another effort from Ramires, but his drive from outside the box takes a deflection on the way through which makes it much more comfortable for the keeper. Ramires had a lot of space to let fly there, though.
CHANCE! More good play from Chelsea as this time they come forward down the right, with a low ball being fizzed into the box. Oscar has peeled off his man and hits a decent enough first-time effort, but it is straight at the keeper. That is the clearest sight of goal yet, though.
Ramires concedes a free kick in a dangerous position, giving Kiev their first real shooting chance of the evening. However, Rybalka's effort is really disappointing as it goes straight into the wall.
Kiev have shown a little more promise in an attacking sense in the last few minutes, but it is still Chelsea enjoying more of the ball and looking most like getting the first goal of the game right now.
There is a decent atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge tonight, and notably before kickoff there was a chant of Jose Mourinho's name. The fans are still behind the manager, but that may not last much longer if the results don't drastically improve.
Nice idea from Oscar as he looks to bend a pass around the back of the defence with the outside of his foot for Fabregas. He puts too much on it, however, and that is how this opening 15 minutes has gone for Chelsea really. Their end product has not quite been good enough so far.
Still Chelsea come knocking on the Kiev door, but the visitors are holding out so far. The pressure is beginning to build right now, though, with Kiev unable to get out, and it feels like a matter of when, rather than if, the hosts will break the deadlock at the moment.
UPDATE: There has been a goal in the other match in Group G, and it is no surprise to see that is has gone to Porto, with Christian Tello giving them the lead against Maccabi. Elsewhere, meanwhile, Arsenal are trailing Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena courtesy of a Lewandowski goal.
Really good play from Willian as he shows a great turn of pace to burst between two white shirts down the right flank. He drills a cross into the box, but Khacheridi is there to clear away on the edge of his own six-yard box.
This is a big worry for Dynamo. Yarmolenko looked to drag the ball past Baba Rahman, only for the Chelsea man to make the tackle, while Yarmolenko slipped and fell awkwardly. It looks like it could be a groin strain, and the Kiev winger looks in considerable pain right now.
That injury doesn't appear to be as bad as it first looked, with Yarmolenko now back on the field and, while he isn't moving entirely freely, if it was a muscle strain then he wouldn't be being risked so he should be able to run it off.
YELLOW CARD! Gonzalez becomes the first player in the book this evening, although it's not entirely clear why. Perhaps a word out of place to the referee?
Chelsea play a free kick quickly down the left for Oscar, who moves forward before slipping a pass inside for Costa on the edge of the box. The striker has a chance to shoot, but turns it down in favour of looking to dribble closer to the goal. He is forced out wide, however, and is fortunate to win a corner in the end.
CHANCE! Almost a good opening for Chelsea as Willian, having fluffed his lines from an original free kick, floats another ball out to the right that is in turn fed into the middle. Oscar is there and looks set to nod it home from close range, but Vida does just enough to nudge him out the way, while Costa blazes the rebound over the crossbar.
Yarmolenko didn't get much joy in the final third a fortnight ago, but he manages to get a shot away here. It is a speculative effort, however, and ends up a long way wide of the target.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Dynamo Kiev (Aleksandar Dragovic own goal)
Chelsea get the breakthrough, but it comes via the head of an opposition player, which is just the sort of luck Mourinho would have needed. It is Willian who once again makes the difference down the right, showing pace to burn down the flank before delivering a cross in towards the front post. There are no blue shirts around, but Dragovic does the work for them by nodding it past his own keeper.
Chelsea get in behind again down the right through Willian, but this time the Brazilian's pass is lacking as he rather scuffs the cross and Kiev are able to clear. The hosts have all of the momentum right now, though.
Kiev respond with a little bit of sustained pressure, but that comes to an end as Gonzalez blazes an effort well over the bar after a corner had been cleared into his path. The visitors are struggling to come up with much in the final third right now.
Scrappy period of the game here as both sides fail to keep hold of the ball for any length of time. Chelsea eventually win a free kick through Oscar, but a promising break down the left flank comes to nothing as Fabregas's low cross is cut out and cleared.
Again the hosts come forward down that left flank, but this time Oscar goes for goal himself, looking to bend a curling effort into the far corner. He gets it all wrong, however, sending the shot high and wide of the target.
One area Chelsea do need to improve on is getting bodies into the box. All too often in this match they have been left without significant numbers in the area, while Costa seems reluctant to attack the six-yard box and instead wants to hang around on the edge of the area.
SHOT! Fabregas is the latest to let fly for Chelsea, picking the ball up around 30 yards from goal before looking to arrow one into the top corner. He gets plenty of power behind his effort, but it is always moving away from goal and ends up a couple of yards wide.
There will be two additional minutes at the end of this first half.
PENALTY SHOUT! Costa has been rather frustrating with his runs inside the box so far, but this is much better from the striker. He looks to be at his bullish best as he drives forward with the ball at his feet, bursting past a defender before breaking into the box and going down under the challenge of Dragovic. The referee says no, and Costa is absolutely furious, as is Mourinho. The replay shows that Costa went down far too easily, though, and it is a very good piece of refereeing from Kralovec.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-0 Dynamo Kiev
The first half comes to an end at Stamford Bridge, then, and it is Chelsea who take the lead into the break against Dynamo Kiev. It hasn't been the greatest 45 minutes of football that you will see this season in all honesty, but the result is by far the most important thing for Chelsea tonight and, as things stand, they are on course to move second in Group G.
Their lead came via a little help from Aleksandar Dragovic, however, as the Kiev defender turned the ball into his own net with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half. It was good play from Willian to force the own goal, beating his man on the right, not for the first time tonight, before delivering his cross towards the front post. In truth, there wasn't much danger with Costa failing to make the run towards the front post, but Dragovic still nodded the ball past his own keeper.
Chelsea have certainly been the better team so far tonight, but they have failed to turn their possession and territory into clear-cut chances. Shovkovskiy has barely been tested in the Kiev goal, with many of Chelsea's shots either being straight at the keeper or off target. They need to prove a little more clinical in the final third, and that starts with Costa, who has been disappointing so far.
Costa match so far was perhaps summed up right on the stroke of half time when he went down inside the box under pressure from two Kiev defenders following a driving run into the area. The striker was fuming with the official behind the goal for not awarding the spot kick, but the replays showed that he went down too easily and that it was a good decision from the officials. You would have backed Costa last season to have finished the chance off, but he seemed more concerned with winning the penalty on this occasion.
Willian has probably been the brightest player for Chelsea so far tonight, as has been the case for much of the season. He seems to have the beating of Antunes down that flank, although he needs more support in the box. Costa has been very non-committal with his runs, usually hanging back towards the edge of the box rather than really attacking the front post. There are rarely enough numbers in the area for Chelsea to really take advantage of Willian's good play too.
Plenty of action has come down Chelsea's left too, with Oscar and Baba Rahman heavily involved in an attacking sense so far, and Costa tending to drift over to that flank. Oscar had Chelsea's only other real chance of that first half when he mis-hit his shot straight at the keeper.
KICKOFF: Kiev get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that the visitors have made a change at the break as Denis Garmash replaces Sydorchuk.
CHANCE! Big chance for the visitors as they break free for the first time tonight. Gonzalez is the creator as he slides the ball through for Kravets, who finds himself with only the keeper in front of him. Zouma shows great pace to get back at the striker, however, before sliding in with a brilliant last-gasp challenge inside the box. He had to get that one right!
This is a decent spell from Kiev. This time they come forward down the right as Yarmolenko is played in down the channel, but his cross takes a deflection which diverts it away from Kravets and out for a corner.
CHANCE! That's more like it from Costa as he picks the ball up over on the left side of the area before turning back and digging a cross out towards the near post. Willian is in the middle this time and plants a header towards the bottom corner, but Shovkovskiy sticks out a big hand to make the save.
Yarmolenko is having a growing influence on this match, which is ominous for Chelsea. He comes forward down the right again here before fizzing a cross low into the area, which Matic slices behind when trying to clear his lines.
PENALTY SHOUT! The first corner comes to nothing, but the second eventually bounces back out to Gonzalez. He scuffs his effort towards goal, but it bounces up awkwardly and appears to strike the hand of Ramires. Gonzalez appeals for the penalty, but the referee says no.
The referee has had a good game tonight, and the replay proves that he has got that decision right as well. It actually hit the ribs of Ramires, although it certainly looked awkward for the Brazilian in real time.
DYNAMO KIEV SUB: The visitors make their second change of the evening, and it comes up front as the ineffective Kravets is replaced by Junior Moraes.
CHANCE! Almost an immediate impact from Moraes as Matic gives the ball way deep inside his own half with some ponderous play in possession. He is immediately set upon and the ball breaks for Moraes, whose powerful half-volley is punched away from Begovic. Kiev still have the ball, but Gonzalez wastes it by putting an effort well off target from range.
YELLOW CARD! Antunes goes into the book for a cynical tug on Willian, who had got the wrong side of the full-back when looking to latch on to a chipped through-ball.
WHAT A MISS! Oh my word, it really should be 2-0 to Chelsea here! From the resulting free kick Willian floats a delivery into the area that is just too high for Matic but arrives to Zouma at the back post. The defender looks to have a simple tap-in under little pressure but, on the stretch, he somehow manages to divert it back where it came from and wide of the target.
Could that miss prove to be costly? Chelsea have not been the best when it comes to defending leads at the moment, and Kiev have looked more dangerous in this half than they did in the first. A second goal would be priceless for the hosts.
If Kiev can keep the deficit at just one for the next 15 minutes or so then they can afford to really go for it in the last 10 minutes here. They really do need a result of some kind you feel, as defeat would leave them with a mountain to climb in terms of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
CHANCES! Two chances in quick succession for Chelsea as first Willian finds himself in space down the right flank only to drag his shot wide, while moments later Shovkovskiy belies his advancing years with a fine save to deny Oscar. The Brazilian was teed up by Fabregas and curled his effort towards the top corner, but the Kiev keeper made a strong one-handed stop to turn it behind.
Another shot for a penalty, this time for the Chelsea fans behind the goal as Terry flicks his header on and it strikes a Kiev defender. Once again, the referee says no, and although this time it did hit a hand, it would have been a very harsh one had the ref given it.
Begovic needs to be alert here as Buyalskiy almost nips in, but the Chelsea keeper is quick off his line and makes an important interception to clear the danger.
It is all about game management for Chelsea right now, which is an area that they were so adept at last season but not so much this time around. A second goal would be ideal for the hosts, but the priority now is protecting their lead.
YELLOW CARD! Buyalskiy becomes the latest player in the book for a challenge on Costa with his studs showing. No real complaints with that one.
Kiev have a good chance to whip the ball into the box from a free kick in a dangerous area, but it is well defended by Zouma. From the resulting corner Vida flicks it on at the front post, but Moraes is inches away from being able to turn it home.
The nerves are sure to be jangling for Chelsea right now. They have blown a few leads already this season, including as recently as Saturday, while just one win in their last eight is sure to raise doubts with just a one-goal lead going into the final 15 minutes. This is a huge spell in their season, you feel.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Dynamo Kiev (Aleksandar Dragovic)
Would you believe it?! Kiev get the equaliser and it is Dragovic, who scored the earlier own goal, who levels things up! Some good work from Moraes spread panic in the Chelsea defence as Terry's attempted nod back to Begovic when straight out from a corner, and from the resulting delivery Begovic comes to claim but completely misses the ball. It drops to Dragovic at the back post, and he lashes it home into the empty net. More trouble for Mourinho!
CHELSEA SUBS: Mourinho's response to that equaliser is immediate as Eden Hazard and Pedro are both introduced in place of Oscar and Fabregas. Can they help Chelsea find a winner in the final 10 minutes or so?
Kiev may feel that they can grab a winner now, and they are certainly playing as though that is what they want. They are getting men forward, but Yarmolenko perhaps wisely takes the sting out of their attack with a backward pass. They don't want to go too gung-ho here as a draw would be a very good result for the visitors.
Rybalka brings down Hazard in a very dangerous position, and Willian looks interested in this free kick. It is a perhaps a little wider than he might like, but the distance from goal is more or less ideal for the free kick...
GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Dynamo Kiev (Willian)
Brilliant from Willian, who is just so deadly from free kicks at the moment. There is no doubt that the Brazilian is the man to take this one and he whips it over the wall and just beyond the despairing dive of the keeper for his fifth goal from a free kick this season. It is a magnificent goal, and a very important one as well. Can Chelsea hold on to the lead this time?
CHANCE! Well, they are looking for a third rather than sitting back. It is brilliant from Hazard as he darts to the byline down the left channel before putting a low ball right across the six-yard box. Ramires eventually picks it up at the back post, but his cross back into the box is cleared by Dragovic.
That second goal has really sparked Chelsea back into life here. They suddenly seem full of energy once again and have clearly decided that attack is the best form of defence. Hazard's introduction has certainly lifted the hosts.
Chelsea are doing exactly what they need to do at the moment. Kiev have barely been in the opposition half since Chelsea got their second goal of the evening, and it is hard to see the hosts blowing this one now and Jose Mourinho's name rings around the stadium once again.
Dangerous play from Khacheridi as he tries to take on both Hazard and Costa, with the latter tackling the defender on the halfway line. After a bit of a scramble on the floor, Hazard is released down the left flank, but he can only fire his eventual effort into the side-netting.
There will be two added minutes at the end of this match.
CHELSEA SUB: Mourinho makes a third and final change to wind the clock down as Willian, who is surely now the match-winner, is replaced by Gary Cahill.
FULL TIME: Chelsea 2-1 Dynamo Kiev
The full-time whistle goes at Stamford Bridge, and it is Chelsea who emerge victorious courtesy of a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev. It wasn't as straightforward as they might have liked, but the result was by far the most important thing this evening and it is a vital three points for the hosts as they move second in Group G. Dragovic scored at both ends, with his own goal giving Chelsea the lead before he equalised with a little over 10 minutes remaining, but it was Willian who proved to be the hero as his sensational free kick secured a priceless win for Mourinho and Chelsea.
That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Champions League clash as Chelsea return to winning ways at the expense of Dynamo Kiev. Stay tuned for our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings too. It is the turn of the Europa League tomorrow night, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Celtic all in action, so check back in for coverage of that too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!