Late Diouf strike denies Chelsea win at the Bridge

A late Mame Biram Diouf strike denied Chelsea a win in a 1-1 score draw at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea took the lead in the 39th minute when Bertrand Traore’s stunnig strike from just outside the box rested in the back of the net. Stoke pushed and deservedly drew level in the 85th minute as Diouf headed a rebound pass Thibaut Courtois for Mark Hughes men.

The first half was  a beehive of activities with both teams creating early chances. It was the Blues who took the initiative as Traore, who was standing in for the injured Diego Costa, struck with aplomb from the edge of the box.

The second half continued in a similar fashion, with chances created for each team. Stoke’s goal came after Courtois punched the ball straight to Diouf, who had the enviable task of heading into an empty net

Chelsea are 10th in the league with 40 points and will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit to French Champions PSG from the first leg to progress to the quarterfinals of Europe’s biggest competition.

“We have rested one or two players but it’s good to see the players who came in, especially the young ones, like Traore and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, do well,” said Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink.