Edinson Cavani’s goal 12 minutes from time sees Paris Saint-Germain take a slender advantage into the second leg, but Guus Hiddink’s side did more than enough in this narrow 2-1 defeat to suggest we can overturn the deficit back at Stamford Bridge and progress.
The home side had taken the lead shortly before half-time when Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s free-kick took a deflection and beat Thibaut Courtois, who was outstanding throughout, but we equalised with the last action of the first half through John Mikel Obi.
Diego Costa had struck the bar with the game goalless and the striker was unfortunate to to give us the lead early in the second half, while Courtois made a string of impressive saves after the break to deny Lucas, Angel Di Maria and Ibrahimovic.
There were two changes to the side which started against Newcastle at the weekend. John Terry’s injury meant Branislav Ivanovic moved inside to partner Gary Cahill, with Cesar Azpilicueta switching to right-back and Baba Rahman coming in at left-back. In midfield, with Nemanja Matic suspended, Mikel and Cesc Fabregas started, while further forward Pedro retained his place in the side having scored two against Newcastle. In-form Diego Costa led the line for the Blues.
The home side started the game quickly and enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening few minutes, with Courtois called into action early on, the Chelsea goalkeeper pushing away a fierce Marco Verratti drive from outside the box. A couple of minutes later PSG went close again, and this time the Belgian could only watch as Lucas’s long-range strike flew just past his right-hand post.
As the 10-minute mark passed by our only foray into the PSG half had quickly come to an end when Thiago Silva robbed Diego Costa as the striker burst into the penalty area.
Ibrahimovic sent a dipping free-kick inches over the top of the bar after being tripped by Willian, and Courtois then had to be alert to hold on to a Maxwell delivery from wide on the left. Azpilicueta, meanwhile, produced a brilliant challenge to thwart Lucas as the winger raced on to a ball out from the back, the Spaniard reading the danger intelligently and coming across from his full-back position to make the challenge.
The first booking of the game arrived 19 minutes in and it went to Ibrahimovic, who was sent off in the second leg of last season’s contest, for a foul on Baba.

The Blues were gradually beginning to get a foot-hold in the game and seeing more of the ball, and after a five-minute period in which we retained possession intelligently while waiting for an opening, we threatened the PSG goal.
The ball was worked out to the left-hand side where Baba, spotting the run of Diego Costa, produced a fantastic cross. The striker appeared to do everything right, meeting the delivery with a firm connection which seemed destined to beat Kevin Trapp, but somehow the PSG ‘keeper flicked out his right arm and diverted the ball against the bar.
Pedro then supplied an inviting cross from wide on the right but Azpilicueta, in a good position and with Hazard just behind him, was unable to connect.
Having been under real pressure during the opening 15 minutes Guus Hiddink’s side deserved credit for the manner in which they’d come back into it.
As a spectacle, it was becoming an entertaining affair with both teams looking to get on the front foot and take the initiative. PSG remained dangerous in the attacking third and after Ibrahimovic had headed straight into the ground Di Maria fired wide from just inside the penalty area.
Seven minutes before the break Mikel followed Ibrahimovic into the book for bringing down the marauding Lucas, and from the resulting free-kick the Swedish striker blasted PSG into the lead, firing low and hard past Courtois via a deflection off the Chelsea wall.
We looked to hit back immediately and Willian saw a free-kick of his own charged down by the PSG wall, before his subsequent corner was hooked away at the near post by Ibrahimovic.
Again we came forward, though, and we were rewarded with a leveller right at the end of the first half.
This time it was Fabregas, breaking down the right-hand side, who saw his cross diverted behind for a corner.
Willian delivered once more but on this occasion Diego Costa got there first and flicked it on at the front post. It fell invitingly for Mikel, who took one touch to control the ball and then blasted his strike past Trapp to make it 1-1.

The scorer of the goal may have been an unlikely one, but on reflection it was no more than we deserved following a spirited first-half display.
The Blues were first to threaten after the restart and it owed much to a wonderful driving run by Willian.
Both Baba and Fabregas combined to clear inside our penalty area and as the ball arrived at the feet of Willian he quickly shifted it away from two incoming challenges and advanced forward, carrying the ball deep into the PSG half before opening their defence up with an intelligent pass. Diego Costa read his team-mate’s intention and raced on to it only to see his strike saved by the feet of Trapp.

At the other end, meanwhile, Di Maria forced Courtois into a brilliant save with a fierce strike from 30 yards which was heading for the top corner. Moments later the Belgian saved well at his near post to deny Ibrahimovic, and he was called into action again soon after when he raced off his line to save at the feet of Maxwell, who had been slipped in by a Di Maria pass.
By this time PSG, like they had early in the game, were enjoying a dominant spell, and it required a fantastic save from Courtois low down to his right to deny Lucas, who had exchanged passes with Di Maria and worked himself into a threatening position.
The pressure was beginning to build and the home side looked destined to regain their advantage when Ibrahimovic’s header was blocked and fell at the feet of Blaise Matuidi. The midfielder fired powerfully towards goal from seven yards out but Ivanovic produced a wonderful block to keep the scores level.
There was seemingly no end to the home side’s assault on our goal and Courtois was forced into another smart stop, this time from a curling Di Maria free-kick.
David Luiz and Lucas were booked in quick succession for fouls on Diego Costa and Baba respectively, and with 20 minutes left to play Hiddink made our first change, replacing Eden Hazard with Oscar. Laurent Blanc soon followed suit and brought on Edinson Cavani for Lucas.
The PSG substitute’s impact was almost immediate as with 12 minutes left to play he fired the hosts back in front.
Di Maria ran at the Chelsea defence and scooped a ball over the top into the path of Cavani and, from a slight angle, he fired through the legs of Courtois to make it 2-1.
The home side, buoyed by their second goal, sensed an opportunity to secure a real advantage going into the second leg and poured forward in search of a third, and Cahill did excellently to block a Marquinhos strike which had beaten Courtois, while Thiago Silva blasted over the bar from a good position.
There is certainly cause for optimism heading into the second leg and Hiddink will be pleased with the performance of his side.
Our immediate focus, however, now switches to the FA Cup, and Sunday's fifth round home game against Manchester City.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic (c), Baba Rahman; Fabregas, Mikel; Pedro, Willian, Hazard (Oscar 70); Diego Costa.
Unused subs: Begovic, Miazga, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Traore, Remy .
Scorer Mikel 45
Booked Mikel 38, Pedro 67
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Trapp; Marquinhos, Thiago Silva (c), David Luiz, Maxwell; Verratti (Pastore 81) Thiago Motta, Matuidi (Rabiot 81); Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Lucas (Cavani 73).
Unused subs: Sirigu, Van Der Wiel, Kurzawa, Stambouli
Scorers Ibrahimovic 39, Cavani 78
Booked Ibrahimovic 19, David Luiz 69, Lucas 69
Referee Carlos Carballo (Spain)