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A thrilling contest that could've swung either way ended with both sides sharing the points. Both Valencia and visitors Chelsea came from behind at some point but evidently neither could do more.
The home side created plenty of early chances, and although Chelsea weren't without their own, Valencia looked more likely to open the scoring. They did so in the 40th minute through Carlos Soler only for Mateo Kovacic to equalise for Chelsea less than a minute later with his first-ever goal for the club.
Early in the second half, Christian Pulisic put Chelsea ahead and although the goal was initially ruled out for offside, it was awarded to the Blues by VAR after a lengthy delay. It sparked a more open game that saw Valencia throw caution to the wind. But it was not until the 82nd minute that Daniel Wass' wayward cross would loop over Kepa to find the back of the net.
While neither side would be happy with the result, Valencia have the more difficult task of facing Ajax in the final game that could decide their fate in the group.
#4 Valencia's missed chances
Although the spotlight of missed chances on the night will fall to Maxi Gomez whose shocking miss at 0-0 in the first half set the tone for Valencia's game. He would go on to miss a couple more clear chances as well. Granted that included a good save by Kepa but the forward's squandered chances were symptomatic of Valencia's inability finish off their big chances.
Parejo will take a fair share of the blame as well having missed from the spot, but Rodrigo had a chance to make it all right towards the end of the game. His opportunity was similar to the one Maxi Gomez had at the start and the end product form both was the same.
Had valencia shown more composure in front of goal, they may have had a different result on the night.
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#3 Error-prone Chelsea
Frank Lampard's Chelsea begun this season with a reputation for defending poorly, and although they have repaired that image to some extent in their last few games, it still largely holds true.
Against Valencia, their defending was much better, but they developed a dangerous habit of committing errors within their own half. Kepa's error was the most threatening as he ended up playing the ball to the opponents' feet directly at least once. He was also caught in no man's land when Jorginho's wayward pass was intercepted and Rodrigo's shot sailed over the bar.
The Italian midfielder and Willian were both guilty of trying to play a pass too many in risky areas often leading to turnovers in areas that Valencia could capitalise upon. The profligacy of their forwards spared the Blues any blushes. However, Chelsea's midfield, in particular, needs some more defensive solidity.
#2 Kepa's moment of redemption
On more than one occasion, Chelsea's goalkeeper was unconvincing in front of his own goal. He looked like even the most tame shot could potentially beat him, but as has been publicly evident in the past, the Spaniard hasn't lacked for confidence.
He made that abundantly clear when in the 64th minute, a tangle of legs in the box led to a soft penalty being awarded to Valencia. Dani Parejo stepped up to take it but his compatriot in goal stood tall and dived the right way to stop his well-struck shot and parry it wide.
All of Kepa's errors up until that point were forgotten in that moment of glory as he kept Chelsea in the lead with his brilliant penalty save. There's still lots of uncertainty about him in goal but in that moment he stood up to be counted when the team really needed him.
#1 N'Golo Kante, the playmaker
The French midfielder is not particularly known for his exploits in the final third of the pitch, and although its more common to now see him going forward in this Chelsea set-up, he stepped it up against their Spanish opponents.
N'Golo Kante was imperative in winning the ball in deep positions and carrying it forward or releasing runners. He also was spotted linking play in the final third and making runs into the box constantly. He was a big part of the attacking play in the game which has not always been true of his play in a Chelsea shirt.
On a couple of occasions, he had a go at goal as well in a direct threat to Valencia's defence. He also delivered the cross that led to Christian Pulisic's goal in terms of tangibly contributing in attack.
