Chelsea demonstrated their intelligent, resilient, and little shousery aspect at some stage in their impressive 2-0 Champions League final 16 2d leg victory over Atletico Madrid.
The Blues held a slim 1-0 advantage following their Olivier Giroud-inspired victory within the predominant leg – a potentially unhealthy scoreline given the away aims rule and subsequently a potentially advanced game to snort tactically.
Nonetheless Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea obtained it living on.
The Blues own been rock stable defensively, with Kurt Zouma and Antonio Rudiger absolute man mountains at the abet. Maybe extra on the latter later.
Nonetheless Chelsea didn’t appropriate come to take a seat down and give protection to their fragile lead. Tuchel’s aspect own been fleet, enthralling and intelligent going ahead and triggered all forms of complications on the counter assault. The favored-or-garden terrier esteem vitality of the outstanding N’Golo Kante if truth be told typified their efficiency, the midfielder darting here, there and in each attach as he mopped up defensively, before being fast and obvious in possession.
It used to be on the counter assault that Chelsea took the lead on the night time, and doubled their advantage on mixture, Timo Werner charging down a daunting within his hang half before combining with Kai Havertz and placing one on a plate for Hakim Ziyech, with the winger cooly stroking home.
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Despite the must protect their lead, the Blues persisted to undercover agent intelligent all night time. Havertz – having been deployed in a faux nine role towards Leeds on Saturday – thriving within the within ahead role, and blended properly with Werner at some stage in. Werner led the twin carriageway on his hang, nonetheless possessed with the entire vitality of Kante could be discovered cropping up everywhere in the pitch, working in within the abet of, pressing Atletico when out of possession and getting at the backline when on the ball.
The 1-0 lead on the night time remained a a microscopic bit nervy ranking, with Atletico wanting appropriate one aim themselves to be factual abet within the tie. Diego Simeone’s aspect are in total renowned for their darkish arts, on the different hand it used to be the impressive Rudiger who as a substitute deployed some darkish arts of his hang when Stefan Savic gave him a crafty elbow within the sphere.
Having been stable as a rock all night time, the 1.9m centre half without note crumpled to the bottom in splendidly theatric style, Savic used to be given his marching orders, and Europe’s renowned shousers had change into the shoused.
The Blues wrapped up the grab with another improbable counter attacking scamper, this time substitute Emerson turning home to stable Chelsea’s living within the quarter finals. Extra excitement, resilience and shousery within the final eight, please.
