MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 06:37:03| >> :120:23858:23858:

Napoli 3-1 Chelsea

Chelsea face an uphill battle in their quest for a Champions League quarter-final place after losing 3-1 in Napoli.

Chelsea face an uphill battle in their quest for a Champions League quarter-final place after losing 3-1 in Napoli tonight.

Ezequiel Lavezzi notched a brace while Edinson Cavani also netted to put the Italian side in command after the first leg of the last-16 tie.

It was Chelsea who took the lead, as Juan Mata capitalised on a defensive error from Paolo Cannavaro to score from eight yards.

David Luiz came within inches of doubling the Blues' advantage but headed just wide from Mata's corner.

Napoli then turned the game around with two goals in the closing stages of the first period.

The equaliser came through Lavezzi, who combined with Cavani before sending a curling effort past Petr Cech from 25 yards.

Having provided the first, Cavani added his name to the scoresheet when he nodded in from close range to put Napoli ahead in first-half stoppage time.

A mistake from Luiz then allowed Cavani in once more. The Uruguayan squared for Lavezzi to finish from inside 12 yards on 65 minutes.

Matters could have been worse for Chelsea as Ashley Cole cleared off the line from Christian Maggio in the closing minutes.

In an end-to-end game, Didier Drogba had a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit but sent his injury-time volley off target.

The return leg takes place at Stamford Bridge on March 13.

ID:17363: cacheID:17363:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3004:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
John Terry
Read Next:
Villas-Boas hoping for swift Terry return
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!