The Blues secured qualification to the Round of 16 with a tense, hard-fought and largely frustrating draw at Stamford Bridge against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
It was a game which Antonio Conte’s men should have won by a three or four goal margin. The Blues had the lion’s share of the chances but could make nothing of them. What ultimately did save them was Stefan Savic’s own goal, without which in hindsight, Chelsea may have secured that point.
Had they have eventually succumbed to defeat, it would have mattered little as they still would have secured second place in their group. They now face the prospect of coming up against the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain, something they would have undoubtedly wished to avoid.
Thibaut Courtois: 7/10
Could do nothing for header and was let down by his teammates with poor marking. Besides that, did well to keep his side in the game 2 saves and apart from that, recovered and distributed the ball well.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 7/10
His arrival seems to give Victor Moses a lot more freedom to go forward. Wasn’t bothered too much and his game mostly involved distributing the ball to the rest of his teammates and playing it out of defence, which he did well.
Andreas Christensen: 7/10
Barring that one terrible miss that could have won the game for his side, Christensen had a good game in defence. Was bested in the air one all but one occasion, and combined well with his teammates to keep Atletico’s two forwards quiet for the most part.
Gary Cahill: 7/10
The Englishman had a solid game. Didn’t do anything that would cost his side the game and led his men well. Cut a resolute figure in the middle of the park and managed to keep the likes of Angel Correa, Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann quiet.
Victor Moses: 6/10
Was an extremely good display from the Nigerian. Seems to be getting back to form after returning from injury. Took on Atletico’s players and got into a number of dangerous positions and caused the opposition a lot of problems with his pace. Justified Conte’s decision to allow him to keep his position.
Cesc Fabregas: 7/10
Was intelligent in distribution and as accurate as ever. Kept spraying balls wherever he could find a teammate and his understanding with Morata and Hazard and he created a number of chances for his teammates. However, couldn’t get a goal or assist.
N’golo Kante: 8/10
Kante had a typically superb outing once again. Made a number of key interceptions to break up attacks and was constantly sniffing out any potential threats and initiating attacks. Seemed to be everywhere and Koke, Saul and Gabi found it difficult to deal with him. Chelsea would’ve barely seen the ball had it not been for the former Leicester City man. World Class.
Tiemoue Bakayoko: 5/10
Perhaps his worst match in a Chelsea shirt. The Frenchman was at fault for Saul’s goal, after he failed to track his run allowing him to get on the end of Fernando Torres’ cross. Couldn’t make any meaningful contribution going forward or while defending and was taken off in the 64th minute as Chelsea chased the equaliser.
Davide Zappacosta: 6/10
Deployed in the unfamiliar left wingback position to accommodate Victor Moses on the right, the Italian gave a good account of himself in a position basically owned by Marcos Alonso. Did well to keep Griezmann quiet and tried to involve himself going forward. Was taken off for Willian in the 73rd minute.
Eden Hazard: 8/10
The Belgian international was at his sensational best once again and it was his involvement and work that forced Savic into conceding what would be the equalizer. At one point there 5 Atletico players tracking him. He ran them ragged and should have had a number of assists to his name, but his teammates let him down.
Alvaro Morata: 5/10
Wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet despite having a number of chances. Jan Oblak being in the form of his life didn’t help either. Wasn’t as strong in the air as he usually is and eventually faded out the game. Could have done much better with his finishing and possibly got a hat-trick.
Substitutes
Pedro: 5/10
The Spaniard was brought on for Tiemoue Bakayoko in the 64th minute. He provided some much needed pace and attacking impetus, and kept having a go at Atleti’s players. But besides that, couldn’t set up or score the winner for his side.
Willian: 4/10
The Brazilian was brought on in the 73rd minute and tried to go forward as much as possible. He saw a lot of the ball and got into a lot of attacking positions. Chelsea kept counter attacking more due his time on the pitch and was at the center of a lot of those forays forward.
But when presented an opportunity to win the game by Eden Hazard, he blasted it wide from a mere 10 yards out, under no pressure from any Atleti player. That remained his biggest contribution in the game, an extremely disappointing performance.
Michy Batshuayi: N/A
His first appearance since return from injury and despite all his efforts in a tense 10 minute cameo, there was no repeat of his last minute heroics this time around. He looked sharp, and came extremely close to scoring the winner. Provided a burst of energy and will. A promising outing.
