Chelsea were set a big, big test of our character and abilities tonight and by the end of a pulsating game, we had passed with no little panache.

With small margin for error left after the Besiktas result and after the potentially confidence sapping calamity at Highbury four days earlier, the team found themselves trailing tonight despite a bright start.

But still the crisp passing football continued to be played and still the belief continued to flow and in the end, a Frank Lampard spectacular and a typical piece of predatory finishing by Adrian Mutu took us to the top of our Champions League group.

The one goal deficit we took into the break was incurred after 38 minutes and it’s fair to say it came from Lazio’s first real opening of the evening. Before that all the best football had been Chelsea’s.

Damien Duff was once again roaming with threat behind the front two of Mutu and Gudjohnsen, his direct darts at Stam and the velocity-challenged Mihajlovic a source of hope.

Veron, nominally on the left of a diamond midfield but patrolling all land between the penalty areas was unveiling his best display of passing in a Chelsea shirt. The movement off the ball from everyone was the best we had seen all season.

In just the fourth minute, Wayne Bridge burst forward, moved the ball on to Gudjohnsen who went outside the covering defender and shot not too far over.

Then it was his strike partner’s turn to threaten. Mihajlovic let the ball slip his attention and Mutu raced into the large gap behind. The Romanian let fly but let fly wide of the far post.

Lazio’s defence wasn’t comfortable and a long ball from the back had the whole lot of them trailing in the wake of Mutu and Gudjohnsen. The latter of the two collected the bal out wide but his attempt to find his partner in front of goal was thwarted by a retreating defender. A great opening had gone begging.

The game was easy on the eye, only punctuated by two late challenges and subsequent bookings for Veron and Mihajlovic – Albertini and Gudjohnsen the assaulted players.

Then the penned-in visitors landed their retaliatory punch. For the first time they found a way round the back of the impressive Glen Johnson, a corner being the cost. The initial ball in was cleared but a long pass back out to the left by Oddo found Stankovic away from the young Chelsea right-back again.

His header back in was dangerous and Inzaghi, always lethal from a yard (when he manages to stay on his feet!) was able to bundle the ball in.

This season’s Champions League chances were beginning to hang by a thread but this Chelsea team did not freeze. On the stroke of half-time, Frank Lampard attempted to commence the fight-back by cutting in and unleashing a sweetly struck shot from 30 yards. The crossbar was still shaking as the referee’s whistle brought the opening period to a close.

There were no changes at half-time – Claudio Ranieri happy with the performance he had seen and Roberto Mancini satisfied with the position he was in.

John Terry was booked soon after the restart, bring Inzaghi’s surge to an end with William Gallas off the pitch receiving treatment and the on-pitch defensive cover stretched thin.

Duff shot wide as Chelsea pressed toward the Shed End and on 57 minutes, Frank Lampard had that section and all other sides of the ground leaping to their feet.

Mutu advanced through the middle and seeing no further way forward played the ball out to Duff who knocked it on to Gudjohnsen. Showing good awareness, the ball was laid back to Lampard and what followed was arguably his best strike for Chelsea so far.

From the edge of the area he curled the ball over Peruzzi with both pace and precision. It was a terrific way to equalise.

The hunt was on for the lead. Veron curled a free-kick onto the roof of the net while Cudicini had to show his best reflexes to keep out a deflected shot from Zauri.

Veron committed another less-than-pretty foul and with a second booking hovering on the horizon like a black cloud plus signs of tiring beginning to show, he was replaced by Gronkjaer who went wide right. Lampard moved to the middle with Duff drifting out to the left.

Sixty-five minutes had passed and the flying Dane’s impact was instant. He took on Lazio’s captain and left-back, Favalli, in a dart to the bye-line, he won it and crossed to the feet of Mutu. The first shot cannoned back off a defender but as is Mutu’s happy habit, his second attempt found the corner of the net.

Duff almost engineered a third but his low cross was just inches in front of Gudjohnsen and then Cudicini was called to the rescue for a second time. Putting his Highbury horrors behind him, he took off and arched his back to tip over a top corner-bound header by Corradi who had impressed as a target man throughout.

Italian international Stefano Fiore was introduced and was immediately booked for tugging back Johnson and then Geremi was brought on for Duff. Liverani for Stankovic was Lazio’s last switch.

The limit on the away team’s chances was down in no small part to another towering performance by John Terry, a great block and tackle on Corradi in front of goal in the closing stages arguably the peak.

The end game began and there was a moment of fear followed by blessed relief as Conceicao messed up a wonderful chance to equalise. Fiore’s cross from the left arched over the top of the Chelsea defence where the Portuguese international awaited totally unmarked. His headed effort didn’t even go close.

Joe Cole came on for Mutu with eight minutes remaining and played a major part in a succession of ball-retaining juggles near the corner flag. One such attempt to run the clock down ended in a mass scuffle with Oddo’s hack at Cole the spark.

The Italian international full-back was duly booked and with the red mist still lingering, he took the ball on a powerful surge through the centre of a weary Chelsea team and floated a chip over Cudicini. For a nasty nanosecond, it looked to be dipping in but thankfully the crossbar was just a little too low.

The final whistle blew and the Chelsea fans amongst a 40,405 crowd (Lazio providing a healthy presence) launched into a chorus of ‘Are you watching Ars-e-nal?’ So it now lies all square between Chelsea and Lazio in Champions League encounters. A 0-0 draw and a 2-1 defeat four years ago was levelled out by the 2-1 win today. In two weeks time we can decide this mini-contest – and quite possibly the destination of Group G too.

                                                            M-O-T-M = Frank Lampard