It was a frustrating afternoon for the most part at Selhurst Park on Saturday as the team once again tried to find a way to turn possession, particularly in the first half, into goals. The frustration got even more intense when Hakim Ziyech thought he had scored the winner, only to see VAR looking back with a quizzical eye at Romelu Lukaku’s initial run.I admit I didn’t think we would get the three points after that, but the intense, stomach-churning stress was finally relieved when Hakim kept his composure levels high, and his volley low, to finally release all the strain. It is a special type of joy when the team gives you that relief after over an hour-and-a-half of physical discomfort. It is over 90 minutes, because the stress is still there during half time too!

This was not the first time this season that late goals have saved the day. Winning the World Club Cup was also late as Kai stepped up last week. We should be used to it, but it never gets any easier.I had organised to go out in London to go to a show about Bob Marley on Shaftesbury Avenue after the game, but that was cancelled as we walked to the front door, the stars having Covid being the problem. Actually, I had tickets for the real Bob Marley many years before and that was cancelled, I never did get to see the reggae great in person.

My own weekend just got even more uncomfortable on Sunday as British Airways cancelled my flight home and sprung into their usual lightning action of being as unhelpful, rude and unwilling to give information as possible. Now that is what I call frustrating!So I headed for the train from Kings Cross to Scotland but I kid you not, a boat hit a bridge under the track and delayed the train, so the journey from start to finish took 14 hours. I made Marvin the Paranoid Android look like Micah Richards on his birthday. I was less than delighted.The point is that Hakim’s late strike saved the entire weekend and isn’t that the joy of football? Lots of things can be going wrong in life, and I understand my problems were of a very ‘first world’ type, but football can give you that lift, even if it is only for a brief time.As ever the bigger picture must be kept in focus and this is another huge few days in the club’s season. Lille come to visit Stamford Bridge tonight, unless they are flying on BA in which case who knows when they will arrive (actually I have to get over that and anyway, I’m flying BA today so maybe they are very nice people after all up there at Terminal 5!).Lille will be concentrating on being less than nice and they will believe they have a terrific opportunity to get through even if their form hasn’t been as striking this season as last. What they do have is good striking options with Burak Yilmaz and Jonathon David always a dangerous-looking partnership up front.There has, however, been a bit of a drought lately with only two goals in the last four games and the front pair not scoring in the past seven. They could suggest ‘right back at you brother’ if they were being immature or indeed being far more hip than me. Granted, our strikers haven’t been striking at anywhere near the rates they would be satisfied with but Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz did score vital goals over in Abu Dhabi last week.

So, are we set to have a tough, low-scoring slog of a game? Probably not, because just when you expect that, the opposite often happens. The fact that Lille do line up in an open 4-4-2 formation tells me we might just create a few more openings than we have been able to carve out of late.The other Champions League debating matter has been the scrapping of the away goals rule. Will it help the excitement or make it more likely that teams will play for an away nil-nil, no score, total bore draw. I am not sure what the answer will be yet, and we will only get the first real signs with decent data at the end of the tournament this season. Right now, I am willing to give the new method the benefit of the doubt, because most teams arrive at Stamford Bridge and play defensively anyway, whether it is in the Premier League, the group stages of the Champions League or the knockout games.I am hopeful tonight will be different but then sometimes it is hard to tell with Chelsea. Because the Blues are so good at keeping the ball, opponents often feel they have no option but to drop back further and further even if they wanted to be more positive initially.

However the game pans out, we will still want to be going over to northern France with at least a one-goal lead to feel confident about going through. For that to happen, we do have to create more clear-cut chances. It just underlines how much we have missed the opportunities that we relied on from Reece James and Ben Chilwell, with their world-class deliveries. A large part of our game plan that was so successful last season revolved round the wing backs, with their deliveries as well as their goals. It is no surprise whatsoever that Hakim scored our winner from Marcos Alonso’s classic wing-back delivery down at Palace. The problem is that the fitness levels needed to play this position three times a week are off the scale, so Marcos can’t do it every time in every game. Remember there is a huge amount to be done defensively as well as offensively in this position.

We are also getting ready to face Liverpool at the weekend and just consider how much they would be suffering if their wing-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, were out long term. They are the two top men for assists at Liverpool this season having 25 between them already. I thought Ben and Reece were at their level so just think what we could have done with an extra couple of dozen or so assists from out wide.Somehow we have to find other answers this week if we are going to win another trophy and be favourites to progress in the Champions League. It doesn’t really matter where the moments come from, but lately they have generally involved Hakim Ziyech.Apart from scoring goals, his delivery has been up there with Reece’s and Ben’s, so don’t be surprised if it is his time again. Players who survive on confidence and self-belief often go on hot streaks. This is already his best for Chelsea and there is no reason why it shouldn’t continue.