Schadenfreude served as Chelsea slip up against Schalke

Wasteful Chelsea will be ruing a slew of missed chances the morning after their opening Champions League group game with Bundesliga battlers Schalke.

At 7/1 to lift Europe’s most elite club competition for the second time in their history, the Blues will have to do better than this if they are to reach the final in Berlin.

Jose Mourinho showed remarkable foresight at Stamford Bridge, reacting dramatically to chances not taken by Cesc Fabregas, who also netted the opening goal, and Didier Drogba.

The posturing Portuguese coach appeared to predict his side would only get a limited number of chances to double their well-deserved lead, and was proven correct in the 62nd minute as Chelsea were punished for their carelessness.

Schalke starlet Julian Draxler, who has been consistently linked with a switch to the Premier League, showed his strength and speed by unceremoniously dumping Fabregas off the ball in his own half, setting off on a strong run before eventually feeding Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The swift, smooth counter-attack was a play Mourinho would have been proud of, as Huntelaar collected the ball, swerving inside before releasing a low shot past Thibaut Courtois.

The ex-AC Milan and Real Madrid forward needed no second chance, and illustrated the ruthlessness that the Blues were lacking with his calm and composed finish.

Chelsea may feel aggrieved at the foul on Fabregas, but it was a case of just desserts, with the Spain star’s own goal crafted from similar circumstances.

Mourinho’s men had dominated the match from the first moment, looking no less potent in the absence of rested Diego Costa, as Fabregas and the excellent Eden Hazard combined effortlessly to put the Blues ahead after just 11 minutes.

Ex-Arsenal skipper Fabregas escaped a booking for an unsavoury challenge on Max Meyer, and picked Schalke’s pocket before running on to Hazard’s pass and finishing from close range.

Despite the controversy surrounding the opening goal, from then on out it should have been smooth sailing for the Premier League leaders at Stamford Bridge, but instead it turned into a somewhat stressful affair.