We were in the ascendancy for the majority of the opening 45 minutes at Stamford Bridge but were left frustrated in our efforts to break the deadlock. Erin Cuthbert came closest with an effort that rattled the crossbar.

Chelsea remained the better side in the second period and Sam Kerr had a goal ruled out for offside. Lauren James also threatened late on after being introduced, but the Blues were unable to find a winner.

A positive start

Emma Hayes made five changes to her side. Zecira Musovic started in goal and Kadeisha Buchanan partnered Jess Carter in the centre of defence. Sophie Ingle was paired with Cuthbert in midfield while Fran Kirby and Guro Reiten returned to the attack.

Chelsea started the game with purpose and intensity, and several promising openings were fashioned in the early stages.

Kerr, who captained the side, was first to go close as she guided an effort narrowly wide of the post. Reiten, making her first start since returning from injury, was then denied in a one-on-one by Hacken goalkeeper Jennifer Falk.

After a goalless opening 30 minutes, Chelsea's best chance of the match went begging.

Cuthbert watched in anguish as her thunderous volley crashed off the crossbar and onto the goal line – and a foul was then awarded against the midfielder as she attempted to follow up on the rebound.

We moved through the gears in search of an opening goal, but Hacken remained disciplined, well-organised, and resilient in defence.

The Blues continued to showcase creativity and tenacity in the attacking third, and a finishing touch was the only thing missing from the performance as the game was goalless at the interval.

Share of the spoils

It was a fairly subdued start to the second period with little action of note until the hour mark. We again came close to breaking the deadlock.

An incisive through ball from Cuthbert picked out a brilliantly timed run from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. The Swede, who joined Chelsea from Hacken in the summer of 2022, took a touch out of her feet before getting a shot away that was saved by the feet of Falk.

We made a double change with 25 minutes remaining as Sjoeke Nusken and James were introduced in place of Cuthbert and Rytting Kaneryd.

The former almost made an immediate impact when the ball fell kindly on the edge of the box, but the German international couldn’t keep her effort on target.

Patience and persistence were required as Chelsea searched for the opening goal. We thought we had broken the deadlock when Kerr headed home from James’ inviting cross, but the Blues were denied by the offside flag, which swiftly muted the celebrations amongst the home fans.

In another roll of the dice, Reiten was replaced by in-form forward Aggie Beever-Jones. Mia Fishel was introduced soon after for Kirby as we entered the final ten minutes of the match.

Chelsea continued to push forward in search of the goal that would shift Hayes's side top of Group D. Nusken guided a header wide from a corner before James forced Falk into a smart low stop to push clear an effort that was destined for the bottom corner.

In the dying seconds, the Blues were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. Score and victory would be secured. Eve Perisset took responsibility and her effort cleared the wall but also curled beyond the post.

It meant the points were shared; a result that leaves Hacken top and Chelsea second. The two sides resume the battle for top spot next week in Gothenburg.

What’s next?

After our European exploits, we return to Barclays Women’s Super League action with a trip to Bristol City on Sunday 17 December.

Kick-off is scheduled for 2.00pm (UK time) and for supporters unable to attend, the match will be available to watch live via the FA Player platform.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Musovic; Perisset, Buchanan, Carter, Charles; Ingle, Cuthbert (Nusken 64); Rytting Kaneryd (James 64), Kirby (Fishel 80), Reiten (Beever-Jones 74); Kerr (c).

Unused Subs: Hampton, Fleming, Mjelde, Brown.

BK Hacken (4-2-3-1): Falk; Kosola, Rybrink (c), Luik, Junttila-Nelhage; Bergman-Lundin, Sorensen, Anvegard, Kafaji (Grant 90+3), Sandberg (Jusu Bah 45); Larisey (Masaka 76).

Unused Subs: Geurts, Hoglund Jansson, Johansson, Csiki, Lowing, Wijk, Schroder.

Referee: Esther Staubli