Chelsea leave it late in Basel

David Luiz’s injury time free kick gave Chelsea the advantage in their Europa League semi-final first leg, as the European Champions beat FC Basel 2-1.

The Blues took the lead on eleven minutes when the ball went in off Victor Moses, who unknowingly deflected in Frank Lampard’s corner kick.

The game looked to be ending in a draw when Fabian Schlar equalised from the penalty spot with three minutes left, but Luiz had the last say four minutes into added time.

The return leg will be at Stamford Bridge next Thursday, though the club will first turn their attention to Sunday’s visit of Swansea City, by which time they could well find themselves outside of the top four.

Rafael Benitez is expected to once again rotate his squad for this game; Chelsea’s ninth of this month.

Demba Ba, Jon Obi Mikel and Juan Mata are all expected to return to the starting line-up, while Gary Cahill could feature for the first time in a month following knee surgery.

Swansea are without a win in five games, however the Premier League status is all but secure, as they look ahead to a debut season in Europe following their Capital One Cup victory back in February.