Dynamo Kiev 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea have four points from three Group G games

Chelsea twice hit the woodwork and were denied a penalty as they were held to a goalless draw by Dynamo Kiev in Group G of the Champions League.

Eden Hazard almost scored on his return, keeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy tipping his attempt on to a post.

Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko kept pushing down the right hand side of the pitch throughout the match, but ended up losing possession 25 times - more than any other home player

Chelsea had a strong penalty appeal waved away when Cesc Fabregas went down after a Serhiy Rybalka challenge.

Willian's free-kick hit the underside of the bar before Asmir Begovic denied Derlis Gonzalez in Ukraine.

Jose Mourinho's side have now won just one out of five in all competitions.

Yet this was a much improved display on the European stage by the reigning Premier League champions following their 2-1 defeat away to Porto on 29 September.

Porto's 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel-Aviv means Chelsea remain third in the group with four points from three games, one behind second-placed Kiev and three adrift of leaders Porto.

Relive the action from Kiev's Olympic Stadium as it happened

Mourinho spot on with tactics

The build-up to the game was dominated by Hazard. Would the Belgium international start after being left out of the starting line-up against Aston Villa at the weekend?

Hazard was indeed restored to the midfield yet Mourinho sprung a surprise by playing Kurt Zouma at right-back for the first time in a Chelsea shirt while Cesar Azpilicueta was left-back.

That was to nullify the threat of Andriy Yarmolenko, who the Chelsea manager had identified as Kiev's danger man.

The tactics worked a treat as Yarmolenko rarely threatened and the Blues turned in their best 45-minute display of the season in the opening half.

Fabregas played in a more forward role, Ramires showed great energy in midfield, Willian was a threat from set-pieces and Diego Costa should have scored.

Where does this leave Chelsea?

There will understandably be frustration from Mourinho and his players that they failed to turn their first-half chances into goals.

However, this could yet be a priceless point for the Blues in terms of qualifying for the last 16.

They are outside the top two qualifying spots at the halfway stage of the group campaign but two of their remaining three games - against Kiev and Porto - are at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will also be confident when they travel to Israel to face Maccabi Tel-Aviv, bottom of the group without a point, on 24 November.

Man of the Match - Nemanja Matic

On a night when Chelsea showed real determination, there were players all over the pitch who put in decent shifts. None more so than Nemanja Matic who was solid in midfield and also came close to scoring a sublime individual goal after storming through the Kiev defence

What they said:

Dynamo Kiev coach Sergei Rebrov: "I am happy that we motivated ourselves to play against a very strong team. I think the guys deserved praise."

Everton, Stoke, Manchester City and Arsenal have all failed to win away to Dynamo Kiev in recent seasons in European competition

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho: "We are much more solid now.

"Two matches, two clean sheets. No problems defensively. The team was really solid and compact, the midfield really strong.

"We are recovering that compactness, solidarity, effort, tactical discipline - these qualities that are very important when you are not flying, you are not scoring goals, you are not playing with that confidence and attacking flair."

What next?

Chelsea's next Champions League fixture is against Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, 4 November. Before that they face West Ham United away (24 October) and Liverpool at home (31 October) in the Premier League.

The stats you need to know

• Cesc Fabregas had more shots than any other Chelsea player (4)

• Chelsea failed to score in a Champions League game for the first time since April 2014

• The Blues have only lost one of their last 11 Champions League games (W5 D5)

• Chelsea have failed to win either of their two visits to Ukrainian teams (D1 L1)