PSG vs. Chelsea: Score, Grades, Reaction from Champions League

PSG 1-1 Chelsea

Chelsea escaped the Parc des Princes with an away goal to take into the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain.

But the Premier League leaders were fortunate not to suffer a worse fate, as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several great saves to deny the Ligue 1 champions.

Branislav Ivanovic headed home a 36th-minute opener for Chelsea, but Edinson Cavani drew PSG level nine minutes into the second period.

But it was Courtois who stole the honours for the Stamford Bridge team with a string of stops to thwart the French team.

Thiago Motta was a late withdrawal for PSG due to a calf problem, and Laurent Blanc moved David Luiz into a midfield role as Marquinhos partnered Thiago Silva at the back.

Cesc Fabregas had recovered enough from flu to take his place in the Chelsea line-up, with Courtois restored in goal ahead of Petr Cech.

And the Chelsea No. 1 was called into action twice in the 10th minute to parry headers from both Blaise Matuidi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But there was little to separate the two teams at the midway point of the first period, with Chelsea's attacking threat being nullified by a resilient PSG.

Chelsea opened up the PSG defence for the first time in the 26th minute when Costa found Eden Hazard on the right edge of the area, but Salvatore Sirigu cut out the cross.

Marco Verratti earned the first caution of the game for a foul on Hazard in the 30th minute, but Fabregas' subsequent free-kick was held by Sirigu.

Courtois needed to be alert at the other end of the field in the 34th minute when Cavani caught an Ezequiel Lavezzi corner on a run to the near post. But the Belgium international palmed the ball away from the top corner of his net.

But it was Chelsea who took the lead in the 36th minute with an unexpected assist. Gary Cahill flicked on a John Terry cross into the box with the outside of his boot, and Ivanovic got between Luiz and Maxwell to head home against the run of play.

Chelsea had looked relatively comfortable in the first half, but their lead disappeared nine minutes after the interval.

Maxwell held possession on the left flank before finding Matuidi on the overlap. The France midfielder chased to the by-line before crossing into the six-yard box, where an unmarked Cavani was able to head home.

The equaliser clearly rattled Chelsea and lifted the home team and their fans. Soon after, Courtois produced an outstanding stop to thwart Ibrahimovic before Cavani's strike was blocked by Cesar Azpilicueta.

Ivanovic was cautioned in the 66th minute for a rugby tackle on Cavani, and Courtois tipped over a Luiz header from the subsequent free-kick.

Fabregas also entered the referee's notebook for clipping Matuidi, but Luiz's free-kick from distance flew straight into the wall.

Verratti, who had controlled the game for PSG in the second half, was booked in the 79th minute for a lunge at Fabregas, while Jose Mourinho replaced Willian with Juan Cuadrado.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Moments later, Cavani showed great skills to waltz into a dangerous position on the corner of the six-yard box, but his shot went narrowly wide.

Loic Remy replaced Diego Costa while Javier Pastore came on for Lavezzi for the final 10 minutes of the game before Chelsea made their final switch with Oscar replacing Fabregas.

Cavani went for a spectacular bicycle kick to win the game with five minutes remaining but mishit Pastore's cross completely.

Courtois had been magnificent throughout the game, and he was needed in injury time to push away another Ibrahimovic header.

It was a heart-stopping moment for Chelsea, but their goalkeeper's composure has given them a tremendous chance to progress to the quarter-finals.

Selected Player Ratings

Thibaut Courtois: A+

Fully justified Mourinho's decision to restore him to the team in place of Petr Cech with a number of superb saves, notably from Cavani and Ibrahimovic.

David Luiz: A-

The former Chelsea man looked solid in his unaccustomed defensive midfield role in the opening stages but lost Ivanovic's run for the Blues' opener. Bizarrely caught "moving" the referee's foam line for a free-kick, though.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: B

Should have done better with an early headed chance, but his presence grew in the first half. Much improved in the second half and forced a great save from Courtois.

Branislav Ivanovic: A

The Chelsea defender is fast becoming the man for the important goal after opening the deadlock, but the full-back also held his line well defensively in an impressive display.

Post-Match Reaction