LONDON, (Reuters) – Chelsea were frustrated by a disciplined Sevilla as their opening Group E fixture in the Champions League ended in a cagey 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge yesterday.
Europa League winners Sevilla, who have been a thorn in the side of English clubs in Europe, contained Chelsea’s attacking threats in a game of few clear chances.
Sevilla dominated possession in the first half with Nemanja Gudelj’s header forcing a save from Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea’s most productive spell came after the restart when Kurt Zouma and Ben Chilwell both headed good chances straight at Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou.
Yet it was a night of defensive superiority as Chelsea manager Frank Lampard experienced his first 0-0 draw since taking over before the start of last season.
Sevilla had lost only four of their previous 17 matches against English sides, one of the last nine, and beat Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United on their way to their fourth Europa League title in seven seasons in August.
Julen Lopetegui’s side showed again that they are a tough nut to crack with a measured away performance, restricting Chelsea to six goal attempts, their lowest total in the Champions League since February 2015 against Paris St Germain.
Chelsea striker Timo Werner, making his first start in the competition for the Londoners, barely had a sight of goal while youngster Kai Havertz was a peripheral figure.
On the plus side Chelsea’s defending was a vast improvement on their 3-3 Premier League draw with Southampton on Saturday with Thiago Silva and Mendy calming influences.
“I think the important thing was a clean sheet,” former Leicester City fullback Chilwell told BT Sport. “People were looking at us after conceding three on Saturday but definitely we were solid and they didn’t have that many chances.”
Mendy dealt comfortably with Sevilla’s three attempts on target and showed fine reactions to claw away Gudelj’s awkward header in the first half.
After Chelsea’s initial burst at the start of the second half, when Christian Pulisic began to threaten and Werner had one decent effort from long range, Sevilla ended strongly.
The Spanish side came closest when Joan Jordan, who had replaced injured Sergi Gomez in the first half, met a deep corner with a dipping a volley that brushed the roof of the net.