UEFA: Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 Chelsea ... Ibrahimovic , Cavani wawachinja Chelsea

Super subs used to be the fairy story players in any team. Misfits, renegades, locals boys made good. They would come off the bench and win the game against the odds. At Paris Saint- Germain, it is fair to say things are being done differently.

The substitute that took this match away from Chelsea, Edinson Cavani, cost £55million and was the most expensive signing in the history of French football.

It is a sign of the rapid development at PSG that he no longer gets to start every game, and often plays in a wide role with Zlatan Ibrahimovic still the star of the show, and central. There have been rumours he would be open to a new club for some time. On Tuesday night he demonstrated why.

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS

PSG (4-3-2-1): Trapp 7.5; Marquinhos 7, Thiago Silva 7, Luiz 6.5, Maxwell 7; Verratti 8 (Rabiot 81, 6), Thiago Motta 8, Matuidi 8.5 (Pastore 81, 6); Di Maria 7, Lucas Moura 7 (Cavani 74, 7); Ibrahimovic 7.

Subs not used: Sirigu, Stambouli, Kurzawa, Van der Wiel.

Booked: Ibrahimovic, Luiz, Lucas.

Goals: Ibrahimovic 39, Cavani 78.

Manager: Laurent Blanc 7.5.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Courtois 7.5; Azpilicueta 6.5, Ivanovic 8, Cahill 8, Baba 7; Mikel 7; Pedro 6.5, Willian 7.5, Fabregas 7, Hazard 6.5 (Oscar 71, 6); Costa 7.

Subs not used: Begovic, Traore, Kenedy, Remy, Miazga, Loftus-Cheek.

Booked: Mikel, Pedro.

Goal: Mikel 45+1.

Manager: Guus Hiddink 7.

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo 6.5.

Man of the Match: Blaise Matuidi.

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Edinson Cavani (right) celebrates with David Luiz after his 78th-minute strike put Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 ahead against Chelsea

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Cavani latches on to Angel di Maria's throughball to slide through Thibaut Courtois' legs and regain the lead for PSG

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Chelsea players look dejected as they trudge back to the halfway line following Cavani's late winner for the home side

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS

Subs not used: Sirigu, Stambouli, Kurzawa, Van der Wiel.

Booked: Ibrahimovic, Luiz, Lucas.

Goals: Ibrahimovic 39, Cavani 78.

Manager: Laurent Blanc 7.5.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Courtois 7.5; Azpilicueta 6.5, Ivanovic 8, Cahill 8, Baba 7; Mikel 7; Pedro 6.5, Willian 7.5, Fabregas 7, Hazard 6.5 (Oscar 71, 6); Costa 7.

Subs not used: Begovic, Traore, Kenedy, Remy, Miazga, Loftus-Cheek.

Booked: Mikel, Pedro.

Goal: Mikel 45+1.

Manager: Guus Hiddink 7.

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo 6.5.

Man of the Match: Blaise Matuidi.

Matuidi's pitch map and more Match Zone

At the moment when Cavani arrived, PSG were facing up to a sobering experience. The runaway leaders of Ligue 1, with four draws the only blemishes in their 26 domestic fixtures so far, they were facing up to the prospect of a draw at home against ostensibly the 12th best team in the Premier League.

Of course, as we all know, Chelsea are far from that. They are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, their league position a relic of what now appears to be a dressing-room mutiny that forced the removal of manager Jose Mourinho. That Chelsea bears no resemblance to this one. Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea are, as expected, one of the most cussed and resilient teams in Europe.

So despite being kept in the game by Thibaut Courtois in the second-half, Chelsea were poised to return home with a very creditable draw. That is when Cavani struck.

Having replaced the outstanding Lucas late in the second-half, his fresh legs kept PSG’s tempo high and Chelsea at full stretch. In the 78th minute, he combined with Angel Di Maria and ensured PSG travel to London with high hopes of eliminating these opponents for the second year in succession.

Chelsea must hate playing Cavani. In seven Champions League games against them, he has three goals and made two assists, and this intervention could prove hugely significant. It was a smartly taken goal, although Courtois — exceptional until that point — may have been disappointed to be defeated at his near post.

The through ball was clipped neatly by Di Maria, Cavani got inside Baba Rahman and finished smartly with Courtois beaten, hard and low. PSG pushed for the third that would have as good as ended this tie, with Courtois smothering a fine chance for Ibrahimovic in injury time, but Chelsea will not be hugely dispirited by this, even if PSG deserved their win.

An away goal from that unlikeliest of sources, John Obi Mikel, means that a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on March 9 would see Chelsea through. It will not be easy against a team with PSG’s attacking possibilities — their front three have more goals than Chelsea put together this season – but it is far from impossible.

This has been a season of unlikely events and here was one more. Mikel is currently a more prolific goalscorer for Chelsea than Eden Hazard. While Hazard still waits for his first club goal since April, Mikel weighed in with his first since December 10, 2014 — again in the Champions League, away at Sporting Lisbon.

It capped an eventful eight minutes of European football for Mikel, involved in goals at both ends, one memorable another he will no doubt wish to forget. The passage of play began with a clumsy trip on Lucas in the 38th minute for which he was rightly booked by Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo.

Ibrahimovic lined up the free-kick and took a rather poor one. He went for power rather than precision, topped it low, and against all merit got a lucky break. The ball hit Mikel, who had taken his eye off it — a cardinal sin in the wall — and wrong-footed Courtois. PSG were ahead, Mikel stood accused. And then, with the last action of the first-half, redemption.

The clock had ticked into injury time when Chelsea won a corner. Willian took it, and hit the first man. He then delivered a second and nailed it. Diego Costa got the headed flick and the ball fell to Mikel, on the edge of the six-yard box, directly in front of goal.

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Former PSG and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti (centre) was one of a host of famous football names in the Parc des Princes crowd

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Legendary former Brazil and Real Madrid striker Ronaldo was also in attendance at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night

He looked as surprised as anyone, took half a second to assess this unexpected windfall, and rammed it past the impressive Kevin Trapp in the PSG goal. We would hear more of Trapp were he not pegged behind Manuel Neuer, and others, for Germany. It was the first goal PSG had conceded at home in the competition all season.

It might not have been the only one, either, were it not for Trapp’s quick wits. In the 24th minute, he made a brilliant one-handed save from a Costa header, after Rahman had ended a lengthy spell of possession with a neat cross. The ball spun up off Trapp and hit the bar, the best chance of the first-half.

He was quickly out in the 50th minute too, saving from Costa after Willian had run close to the length of the pitch to set him up. Yet the lion’s share of the chances fell to PSG — and Courtois was considerably busier.

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Paris Saint-Germain captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic curls an early free-kick just wide of Thibaut Courtois' right-hand post

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PSG's German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp pulls off a tremendous save by tipping Diego Costa's header up and on to the crossbar

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Costa congratulates the goalkeeper on his save which kept the scores level mid way through the first-half

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Ibrahimovic is shown the first booking of the match after he raked his studs down the back off the ankle of John Obi Mikel (right)

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Cesar Azpilicueta does well to get across the front of PSG winger Lucas Moura to prevent the home side taking the lead

The game was only four minutes in when Marco Verratti — outstanding in last season’s tie — struck a shot from 20 yards that forced a fine save from Courtois. He parried and Branislav Ivanovic quickly pounced to clear. Just two minutes later, the dangerous Lucas cut inside and unleashed a shot from 25 yards that flew just wide. Chelsea were still to enter the final third at the opposite end.

The second-half was equally one-sided at times, and the list of players frustrated by Courtois grew lengthy. Di Maria with a shot tipped over after 52 minutes; Ibrahimovic with another shot a minute later; Maxwell, Courtois saving at his feet in the 59th minute; Lucas, a shot stopped with merely another minute on the clock; Di Maria, a free-kick tipped round after 67 minutes. It was close to a faultless display until Cavani intervened.

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Ibrahimovic strikes his second free-kick low before it deflects off the foot of Mikel (far left) and into the far corner of the net

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Ibrahimovic is mobbed by his team-mates after he scored the first goal of the Champions League last-16 tie

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Mikel beats the PSG defence to Diego Costa's flick on and prepares to strike on Trapp's goal from point-blank range

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Trapp is powerless to stop Mikel's effort flying past his left hand to level the scores right on the stroke of half-time

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Mikel and Gary Cahill run away to celebrate as PSG midfielder Thiago Motta shows his frustration at the equaliser

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Mikel's team-mates run over to celebrate the equaliser with him after his rare goal gave Chelsea a massive foothold in the tie

Chelsea only began to sell tickets for the away end in any number in recent weeks, too many at first fearing a hiding against a team it is felt have a genuine chance in the competition this season. There were times when those fears looked like being realised, others when there were glimpses of the Chelsea of old. The biggest disappointment, once again, was the form of Hazard, who had upset Hiddink by appearing to invite a move to PSG in an interview published in France.

Instead of dropping him, he started him, but if he was hoping for a shop window display the coach would have been very disappointed. Hazard was insipid, created little, never looked like scoring and was replaced by Oscar with 19 minutes remaining.

He has one more chance to convince PSG of his value next month because, on this performance, he wouldn’t get near their team.