Joe Cole has refused to blame Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for Valencia’s second goal at the Mestalla.
Frank Lampard’s side looked set for a place in the last 16 after Christian Pulisic gave Chelsea a second-half lead in Spain.
But eight minutes from time, Daniel Wass' intended cross flew over the head of Kepa and into the net, after the stopper appeared to misjudge the flight of the ball.
And despite many on social media pointing the finger at the Spaniard for the goal, Cole believes it was a “fluke” and Kepa could do nothing to prevent it.
“I don’t blame him for that goal. He’s obviously very good with his feet and sometimes he tries to force it because it’s very important for this Chelsea team for the build-up, sometimes he becomes unstuck,” the former Chelsea midfielder told BT Sport.
“The penalty save was excellent, he done some really good things tonight. We were going to be critical with him for the crossed goal tonight but we’ve had a look at it again and it was just an unbelievable fluke.
“For me, he’s improving a lot at Chelsea. I feel like when he first came in, similar to David de Gea, it took him a while to get the flow of the Premier League but I think he’s becoming a voice in the dressing room now.”
Chelsea need to overcome Lille in their final match to secure a place in the knockout stages.
