Chelsea beaten 3-1 by Napoli

Chelsea lurched to a 3-1 defeat last night to leave them in real danger of crashing out of the Champions League against Napoli.

Andre Villas-Boas' Blues produced more poor defending to throw away yet another lead to deservedly lose their last-16 first leg, with an Ezequiel Lavezzi brace sandwiching a controversial Edinson Cavani goal.

Juan Mata had given Chelsea the lead with what they will be desperately hoping proves a vital away goal.

Petr Cech produced real heroics in the 10th minute after Cavani looked certain to convert Lavezzi's pass, the goalkeeper just getting his foot to the ball.

More brilliance from Cech denied Christian Maggio from a tight angle but Napoli were looking far from secure at the back themselves and, from nothing, they gifted Chelsea the lead.

Didier Drogba found Daniel Sturridge, whose cross was inexplicably flicked back towards his own goal by Paolo Cannavaro, falling perfectly for Mata to fire left-footed beyond Morgan De Sanctis.

Chelsea were in the ascendancy but they allowed Napoli to level seven minutes before half-time, Lavezzi given an age with which to curl a beautiful 25-yard shot beyond Cech.

Raul Meireles was booked for handball, suspending himself for the second leg, and there was a suspicion of the same as Napoli scored again two minutes into first stoppage-time. Gokhan Inler's cross reached the far post and Cavani leant his shoulder into the ball to turn it home, the home fans letting off a firework in jubilation.

Napoli were not sitting back and the latest David Luiz howler saw them double their lead in the 65th minute, the defender kicking a long ball straight against Cavani, who squared past the stranded Cech for Lavezzi to steer into an unguarded net.

Branislav Ivanovic was unable to make the most of a goalline scramble and Napoli almost killed the match - and perhaps the tie - when substitute Ashley Cole, who had earlier come on for an injured Jose Bosingwa, cleared Maggio's open-goal effort off the line.