Knockout stage qualification wasn't completed but the task is very much in Chelsea's own hands after a back-to-the-walls performance in the Ruhr.
German opposition always present difficult challenges on their own soil and so it proved once again, Schalke twice hitting the woodwork and spurning many other opportunities.
But Chelsea resilience is still solid and even though Petr Cech was lost to injury at the break, this will be considered a good night's work.
Avram Grant selected the side that did the business against the Germans a fortnight ago. That meant two changes to the side that beat Wigan at the weekend.
Joe Cole returned in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips so joined Malouda and Drogba in a three-pronged attack. In midfield, Champions League specialist Claude Makelele was called into the holding role in place of John Mikel Obi.
Injuries hit Schalke hard but their fears that Gerald Asamoah wouldn't make the game proved unfounded.
Kevin Kuranyi's replacement at centre-forward was once again the tall figure of Soren Larsen and the highly-rated Ivan Rakitic, only a sub at the Bridge, started in midfield.
Schalke had slightly better of the opening exchanges but then with five minutes gone, a clearance from their skipper and centre-back Bordon rebounded back into the area.
Chelsea pounced, the ball was slipped through to Drogba but in contrast to his start two weeks ago, Neuer in goal made a good save low down to his right. The corner that followed was headed well over by a marked Alex.
Avram Grant would have seen little to concern him as the game approached the 15 minute mark, one cross to the head of Larsen apart. His own side were patiently awaiting their opening.
On 18 minutes, the Germans began to cause concern - Westermann charging forward from left-back, moving inside Belletti and unleashing a shot that Cech hurriedly pushed wide.
In a deja-vu moment just three minutes later, the same player shot from the same distance with the same result. This time the corner that followed was met by an unmarked Bordon who could not believed he headed a great chance over.
The home side's good spell continued. Cech, at full stretch, tipped the ball away from the head of Larsen but it fell to Ozil whose poke goalwards was hacked off the line by Belletti.
Even before that attack, Cech was troubled. He had been signalling to the bench for attention and at the next break in play had running repairs on his right leg. For goal-kicks from then on, he opted to pass to a nearby defender.
Chelsea needed to relieve the pressure and were thankful for a smart interchange between Bridge, Drogba and Essien that won a free-kick 20 yards out. Drogba fired it into the wall.
With four minutes to go before the break, it looked for all the world as if Drogba would give the visitors the lead. Evading the offside, he glided onto Joe Cole's perfect ball down the inside left channel but hit his shot straight at Neuer. The best chance of the game so far had escaped.
Lampard then dragged a grasscutter wide of the far-post on the stroke of half-time.
So what had begun as a composed Chelsea away display in Europe had slipped out of our control but with a late rally to boost the side's morale on entering the dressing room.
The atmosphere generation methods in the ultra-modern arena may not have been to everyone's tastes. Schalke had run-out to warm-up to the strains of an ominous bell tolling, followed by some hard rock blasted out - and the teams' entrance for kick-off had been accompanied by Status Quo.
But with the roof closed, it was noisy place to be during the match action as the home fans willed their team up the Group B table.
Elsewhere, Rosenborg were winning in Valencia so Chelsea ran out for the second period knowing that as things stood, we were only one goal away from qualification.
The not-unexpected swapping of Cech for Cudicini took place for the second-half.
The Italian's first job was to confidently pouch a shot from Ozil as the Schalke man failed to make the most of an incisive counter following a Chelsea corner.
A move following a Schalke short corner ended with Cudicini tipping Rakitic's angld drive round the post.
Schalke were racking up the pressure and corner count as the game entered its final half-hour but they were looking what could have been expected in the absence of Kuranyi - a useful outfit but one lacking a cutting edge.
Mikel was introduced on 63 minutes with Belletti taken off and Essien going to right-back.
The game entered a 10-minute lull, punctuated by free-kicks but then exploded into life again when Schalke came the closest yet.
A cross was headed away by Carvalho but returned by Rafinha who chipped onto the bar with Cudicini stretching back in desperation. The rebound fell to substitute Lovenkrands but his follow-up headed was headed clear by Essien.
The Blues were hanging on, but with Valencia now losing 2-0, hanging onto a good scoreline.
Drogba drilled another shot straight at Neuer and a Joe Cole cross was too far in front of Malouda as the away team fought back. That was the French winger's last action as Wright-Phillips was brought on for the final 12 minutes.
Essien became the game's first booking after cutting down the flying Westermann. Rakitic followed into the notebook a minute later for a foul on the same Chelsea player.
Fortune continued to smile brightly on Grant's men. With just three minutes left on the clock, Essien failed to cut out a long ball and Lovenkrands raced through to crack a shot past Cudicini, only to see it fly back off the far post.
The final whistle was a huge relief. Chelsea can complete the job in Norway in three weeks' time.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech (Cudicini h-t); Belletti (Mikel 63), Alex, Carvalho, Bridge; Essien, Makelele, Lampard (c); J Cole, Drogba, Malouda (Wright-Phillips 78).
Booked Essien 83.
Schalke (4-2-3-1):Neuer; Rafinha, Bordon (c), Krystajic, Westermann; Jones, Bajramovic; Asamoah, Rakitic, Ozil (Lovenkrands 59); Larsen.
Booked Rakitic 84.
