Chelsea's Nemanja Matic celebrates after scoring a goal against Maribor during their Champions League Group G soccer match at stadium Ljudski vrt in Maribor November 5, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

FRONT FOOT

Chelsea, runaway leaders in the Premier League, started the game on the front foot with the unmarked Kurt Zouma heading over from six metres and Didier Drogba, making his 100th career appearance in a UEFA competition, forcing Handanovic into a sprawling stop.

The longer the half went on, however, the more pedestrian the passing became from the visitors.

Ibraimi's stunning left-foot drive sent the crowd wild and Maribor, back in the Champions League group stages after a 15-year absence, sensed victory but Hazard, Oscar and Fabregas suddenly took hold of proceedings.

The Londoners continued to drive forward after Matic's equaliser and Handanovic performed heroics when he went full length to deny Hazard after the Belgian burst clean through the home defence.

The Maribor keeper then tipped over a powerful volley from Costa who also had a goal chalked off because Fabregas was offside.

Hazard then saw his spot kick saved by Handanovic - the winger's first missed penalty in his two and a half years at Stamford Bridge.

At the final whistle Chelsea could console themselves in the knowledge they had equalled their best-ever start to a campaign set in season 2005-06.