SS Lazio 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea improved in the second half to earn a well deserved draw with SS Lazio in Rome to leave them well in contention to progress from Group D.

A chip cum cross from Gianfranco Zola in the 73rd minute almost gave the Premiership side a victory but Gotardi plucked the ball from the goal line and turned away from a lunge by Babayaro to save the Italians from defeat.

Earlier Attilio Lombardi steered a driven corner from Veron against the foot of the post in the 65th minute and Lazio had a convincing claim for a penalty turned down in the 80th minute when Gustavo Poyet appeared to foul substitute striker Marcelo Salas in the area but Chelsea survived.

The second half of a well tempered game was marred when the fourth official insisted that Gianluca Vialli was sent off from the coaching bench after running out of the designated zone. Vialli was angered when Portuguese defender Fernando Couto feigned injury in the 51st minute after a clash with Gustavo Poyet.

A dry and technical first half saw SS Lazio waste the best chance. Out of form striker Simone Inzaghi was put clear with only Ed de Goey in the Chelsea goal to beat but the Dutch international parried his shot from an angle when the best option appeared to be to go for the chip.

The chance was wasted in the 38th minute and the Serie A leaders only managed one more effort on target in half they controlled. Juan Veron produce a very long range effort that barely forced de Goey to stretch as he picked the ball out of the air in the 29th minute.

Tore Andre Flo had pulled a shot wide a minute earlier for the visitors but recent poor form has dented the Chelsea confidence and they rarely raided forward allowing Frank Leboeuf to be their outstanding player if the session with some excellent play in their defence. Flo was unable to hold the ball up and allow team mates to get forward to support any attack so Lazio's attacking pay dominated the half without creating serious threats. Juan Veron found easy mastery on the midfield but his dead ball delivery found the wrong range. Chelsea struggled to piece together a convincing off side trap but held the Italian side at bay while slightly less than the side who had crushed Feyenoord only two weeks ago.