Chelsea Lose 1-0 to Valencia After Missed Penalty in UCL Group Stage Match

Chelsea opened their 2019-20 Champions League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Valencia at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Rodrigo scored the winner in the 74th minute to bank three points for Los Ches and help send them to second place in Group H. Ross Barkley missed a penalty for Chelsea in the 87th minute that would've drawn the Blues level.

Although Chelsea have experienced an uneven start to the Premier League season, their issues are nothing compared to the ongoing drama at Valencia.

The club sacked manager Marcelino last Wednesday, with the Guardian's Sid Lowe reporting the players "are understood to be shocked by the decision." Marcelino asserted he got the boot for focusing too much on the Copa del Rey instead of La Liga, which led to questions over the ambitions of owner Peter Lim.

Valencia lost to Barcelona 5-2 last Saturday in Albert Celades' first match in charge, an entirely predictable outcome given the machinations behind the scenes.

Given all of that, Chelsea were seemingly getting Valencia at the perfect time. The opposite may have been true, however.

Celades came into Tuesday knowing a draw would represent a solid result away from home to open the group stage. He was likely keen to avoid another one-sided defeat as well, which meant adopting a defensive approach with an eye towards capitalizing on set pieces.

Rodrigo's goal came against the run of play but was the culmination of an excellent delivery and even better run to the edge of the six-yard box. Dani Parejo floated his kick to the left side of goal, and Rodrigo directed the ball into the ground to loop over Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Shortly before the goal, Frank Lampard subbed off Kurt Zouma for Olivier Giroud. The logic was easy to see as Giroud provided Chelsea with more of a target man to fit a more direct style of play. It also left the team at a clear disadvantage defending set pieces.

Lampard is likely to face more criticism over the fact Barkley took the penalty. Willian and Barkley had a brief exchange before the English midfielder's kick hit the crossbar and went out of play.

Barkley wouldn't have been an obvious choice to step up in such a critical moment. He has struggled for much of his Chelsea tenure, and he only entered the match in the 80th minute.

Had he converted for the equalizer, Barkley may have started slowly turning the narrative around. By missing, the 25-year-old is bound to raise more questions over his long-term fit at Stamford Bridge. He did himself few favors with his demonstrative reaction when pressed over whether the penalty was his.

A draw would've been a fair result, but Valencia deserves credit for capitalizing on a great opportunity to score, in stark contrast to Chelsea.

The Blues had 56 percent of possession and six shots on goal to Valencia's two, yet they didn't put much pressure on Jasper Cillessen. The Valencia goalkeeper made a nice save to deny Marcos Alonso in the 62nd minute and otherwise didn't have a stressful night.

Chelsea now find themselves third in the Group. While it's only the first matchday, they've made life difficult for themselves. Ajax easily dispatched of Lille 3-0, so the Eredivisie champions present a difficult challenge. A return trip to Valencia will be tricky in November, too.

Tuesday showed advancing to the knockout stages won't be a cakewalk for Chelsea in their return to the Champions League.

What's Next?

Valencia welcome Ajax to the Estadio Mestalla on Oct. 2 in their next Champions League fixture and host Leganes in La Liga action Sunday. Chelsea head to France for a matchup with Lille next in the UCL. They clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday at home.