Key names rested, younger stars take chance to impress
With Chelsea already knocked out of the competition, Andy Myers decided to leave out those who have already featured in Frank Lampard's first team squad - Billy Gilmour, Marc Guehi, Tino Anjorin and Tariq Lamptey - among others.
It meant that five of the starting XI were making their first starts at this level and a number of other less experienced players featured off the bench.
All acquitted themselves quite well, with notable mentions for Jordan Aina, Sam McClelland and Levi Colwill.
Familiar frustration
Yet ultimately it ended in disappointing but familiar fashion as Simon Ramet equalised for Lille late on.
Chelsea dominated the game but it was a familiar story of a campaign in which they also lost leads in games against Ajax and Valencia.
The two-time winners concluded their campaign with just one win and two defeats, in third position and ahead of only Valencia. It is the first time they have exited at this stage.
It is an odd series of results considering how dominant Chelsea have been domestically, where they remain unbeaten in PL2 while also doing well at Under-18 level.
To not progress beyond the group stage is very disappointing but Myers's team will rue the small details throughout.
Fortuitous lead
Chelsea's goal was a freak and, even after watching several replays, it was hard to be 100% sure that the ball crossed the line. Yassine Ben Hamed was judged to have sent it into his own net after Thiemo Ballo struck the crossbar from close range with the entire goal to aim at.
The initial ball in had come from Jorda Aina on the left, Nassim Innocenti headed it on to his own post, taking goalkeeper Lucas Chevallier out of the equation.
But then Ballo, a late inclusion because Marcel Lewis took ill before kick-off, somehow struck the woodwork again from less than six yards.
The rebound struck Ben Hamed and the linesman's flag went straight up to award the goal with Chevallier getting back across to claw it away too late.
Wind plays havoc
The rain and heavy gusts meant it was a tricky afternoon for both teams and, as a result, there were few intricate passages throughout.
Playing with the wind at their backs in the opening half, Chelsea enjoyed the bulk of possession but were unable to create too many chances aside from their goal and a George Nunn attempt that Chevallier did well to save nearing the interval.
In particular the Lille goalkeeper struggled in the conditions, sending one clearance into the air that came down and bounced back towards him while also booting another into touch.
Askew impresses
In the opposite goal, Jake Askew looked good when called upon.
He made a fine save to deny Aguibou Camara midway through the opening half, was commanding from crosses and picked the right moments to come off his line in those difficult conditions.
His distribution was good, he transmitted confidence to the back three in front of him and he also ended up wearing the captain's armband for the final dozen minutes following a series of substitutions.
There was little he could have done about Ramet's close-range, first-time equaliser.
Lampard's blueprint
Although Myers's side lined up in a 3-4-3 and the aforementioned conditions made it difficult to implement, the overall style of play was quite similar to Frank Lampard's first team.
There was an aim to play it out from the back, the forwards pressed hard and high when Lille's defence were in possession and there was also an onus to dominate possession.
Such joined-up thinking is a big positive to take and should have positive repercussions in the future.
