Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid: Five things we learned as Blues reach Champions League quarter-finals
Chelsea 2-0 Atletico (3-0 agg): Ziyech scored first half and Emerson wrapped it up late on
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Chelsea impressed to beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 and earn progression to the Champions League quarter-finals, winning 3-0 on aggregate.
A cautious start from both sides meant few clear openings, but the home side gradually asserted their authority in midfield and were by far the more adventurous and dangerous-looking team - despite a couple of potential penalty calls for the Spanish outfit.
Just after the half-hour mark, the first lightning counter-attack of the match resulted in the opening goal: Kai Havertz freeing Timo Werner, who slid a cross over for Hakim Ziyech to finish first-time.
Joao Felix hammered in a shot as Atleti tried to mount a response before the break, while Werner broke the defensive line again just after the restart to test Jan Oblak with a low strike.
Diego Simeone made change after change to try and spark his team into action, but Atletico fell woefully short in the second leg and created very little of note, allowing the Blues to progress in relative comfort - especially after Stefan Savic’s late red card for an elbow into Antonio Rudiger’s chest, before Emerson Palmieri rattled in an injury-time strike.
Read more:
Here are five things we learned from the last-16 clash at Stamford Bridge.
Trust in the system
Chelsea’s approach was straight-forward, predictable and entirely correct: Play their normal game, normal system, normal style.
This wasn’t a match they had to go and chase, or even get frustrated in if the usual recent issue of lots of dominance but little cutting edge became apparent.
They did, after all, already hold a first-leg lead - that Olivier Giroud goal was huge in this tie, in terms of letting the Blues focus on keep-ball when they wanted, and countering when they could.
It was far from a directionless display, even in the first half, but it was simply the case that the pressure was transferred onto Atletico when it came to forcing the issue in the final third. Add in Chelsea’s excellent approach in playing out from the back and avoiding the initial press and this fast became a match they dictated the course of entirely.
Wheels coming off for Atleti
They remain top of LaLiga, but there the lead has been cut significantly.
Just two wins in the last six means Diego Simeone’s side are only four points clear now; they’ve taken nine points of the last 18 available, while Barcelona have closed ground by racking up 16 in the same period, and Real Madrid 14.
It would be typically painful for los rojiblancos if, having been so excellent for two-thirds of this season, they end up empty-handed - but they were far and away the second-best team across this Champions League tie and can have no complaints at being dumped out.
Simeone’s big task now is to pick his team up mentally, and ensure they do not let the campaign go entirely to waste in the last 11 games of their title tilt - which will require far, far better performances than they have shown across these two legs.
Quality Kante
Not that it’s a great surprise to see him do so, but N’Golo Kante was superb at the heart of midfield by simply breaking up every attempt from Atletico to start some build-up play.
The No. 7 was relentless in chasing down loose balls, putting himself into the right position to intercept attempted passes and showing all his famed work rate to chase back, bide his time and nick a touch on the ball just as at Atleti attacker looked like opening up the defence.
One such moment on Joao Felix in the first half was typical, stealing the ball away just on the edge of the box after Antonio Rudiger had been evaded, but in addition to his defensive work Kante was excellent at covering ground in possession and dribbling past people in the attacking half.
A word again, too, for his partner in the middle: Mateo Kovacic was understated but excellent, a brilliant foil for Kante and a line-breaker for Chelsea when they needed one - which wasn’t all that often, considering the magnitude of the occasion.
Gandalf or Mendy?
Another clean sheet here - that’s now seven Champions League games for Edouard Mendy in a Chelsea shirt, with six shut-outs.
A few saves were fairly routine for Mendy on the night, but they also owed a debt again to his comfort in possession and willingness to pass out under pressure - then his concentration and reflexes were on show with a brilliant late save from Felix.
This isn’t just about the No. 1, though, but the shape of the team and the performances at centre-back on the night.
Rudiger was excellent, swarming Luis Suarez throughout and always on hand to offer a covering burst of pace, while Kurt Zouma in the middle was aerially dominant and similarly aggressive in one-on-ones.
Triple-front fight
Chelsea’s next game is against Sheffield United, not in the league but the FA Cup. Given the disparity between the sides in quality, form and resources, it’s tempting to suggest Thomas Tuchel’s men have one foot in the semi-finals before kick-off.
If they do make it through, Chelsea will quickly be feeling as though they may well be able to end this fragmented season with real, tangible evidence of their progression since Tuchel took over - silverware as well as a return to the Champions League next season.
It’s all going well domestically, and performances like these across the two legs against Atletico hint at an ability to navigate tough tests on the Continent, too.
The route to Istanbul will become clear on Friday, with quarters and semis both being drawn, and Chelsea will have every reason to feel confident on all three fronts.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments