Basel 1 - Chelsea 2: Initial reaction and community rating form

Chelsea looked a bit sloppy for much of the first half of this tie, but still led at the half after Victor Moses got on the end of a Frank Lampard corner. After the early away goal, Chelsea seemed content to sit back and play a very direct, counter-attacking style of football. The Blues had several chances to add to their lead before the break, but some excellent goalkeeping and a few poor finishes from Eden Hazard left it at just 1-0 45 minutes in.

The second half started with the woodwork making a pair of brilliant stops. After bailing Petr Cech out when he was caught leaning the wrong way, the post then kept Fernando Torres from doubling the Chelsea lead. Nothing happened for about 30 minutes, and then Basel equalized after one of the worst penalty calls in the history of the sport. Luckily for Chelsea, David Luiz takes some pretty nice free kicks:

• The lineup this evening had me very excited. Not only was it clearly prioritizing the game this weekend over the Europa League, but it looked like it might actually be a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-2-1. Silly me for thinking that we might try something that revolutionary though, as 4-2-3-1 is the only way to play.
• I could watch the Victor Moses goal on repeat all afternoon. Even though that ball had Branislav Ivanovic written all over it, Moses still followed through on the chance that Bran somehow missed it. Sure enough, Ivanovic got nothing on it but Moses put it in the back of the net anyway.
• Ashley Cole's yellow card means he'll miss the return leg at Stamford Bridge. This may be a bit of a blessing in disguise, as it will assure he's fresh for the Premier League tie against Manchester United, and also means he'll be available for selection should we reach the final.
• Many people seemed to like the whole blue paint kit launch campaign. I'd imagine less people loved the paint drying style of play we put on display this evening.
• The refereeing today was just awful. From throw-ins being taken 40 yards from where the ball went out of play to the ridiculous penalty decision, this referee might as well have just not been on the pitch.
• I love David Luiz.