Source: PA
Chelsea progress despite poor showing
Chelsea sealed their place in the Champions League quarter-finals but the cream of Europe will hardly be trembling after watching them waste a glut of chances to kill off FC Copenhagen in a goalless draw.
With the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and even Shakhtar Donetsk sending out real messages of intent in their last-16 ties, this was the ideal time for Carlo Ancelotti's men to do the same against the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.
Instead, they contrived to fluff at least a dozen straightforward finishes in their second leg at Stamford Bridge, allowing Copenhagen to salvage some pride after their comprehensive first-leg defeat.
Nicolas Anelka, who had been so deadly at the Parken Stadium, was the culprit-in-chief but the Frenchman was barely more guilty than several of his team-mates.
Chelsea simply cannot afford to squander the kind of chances they missed if they are to make it through the quarter-finals, regardless of who they draw on Friday.
Fernando Torres, starting on the bench, came on in the second period but his search for a first goal in Chelsea colours goes on after this drab affair.
