Chelsea travelled to Bucharest on Tuesday night to take on Atletico Madrid in a massive Champions League clash that saw them come away with a vital 1-0 win.
With it being Thomas Tuchel’s first Champions League game as Chelsea’s manager, it was crucial to try and get something to take home something from a tricky tie. That is exactly what happened, courtesy of an incredible overhead kick from Olivier Giroud.
The result is simply huge for the Blues and here are the player ratings:
Edouard Mendy
It was yet another quiet night for our goalkeeper, despite an early scare where he nearly lost the ball, he did not have to get involved at all. He now has a total of five clean sheets in the Champions League this season, the highest of any goalkeeper in the competition. Rating – 6
Cesar Azpilicueta
A superb display from the captain tonight, from the defenders he was my pick of the bunch. He was at the top of the team in so many different categories, including the likes of most duels won, most clearances and joint most tackles (WhoScored.com). An extremely strong performance. Rating – 8
Andreas Christensen
Following the injury to Thiago Silva, many were worried about who could fill that void, and it is fair to say Andreas Christensen is currently proving a lot of people wrong (including myself). It was an assured performance at the back today for the Danish defender, and he is very deserving of his spot in the squad. Rating – 7.5
Antonio Rudiger
It was another sound display from Antonio Rudiger today, helping the team to a 6th clean sheet under Tuchel in just eight games. Again, he was a player who many Chelsea fans did not think we would see much of, but under the new manager he clearly is doing something right to earn his place in the team. Rating – 7
Marcos Alonso
Just like Rudiger, Alonso has been one of the players heavily favoured by the boss and he had another decent game tonight. It was not the most stand-out performance from him, but he was part of a big win for us. Rating – 6.5
Mateo Kovacic
The Croatian has been on strong form in recent weeks, and today, although he was not one of the game changing players, it was a good effort put in by him. It was a big match considering his history at Real Madrid and he showed some glimpses of quality. Rating – 7
Jorginho
There were definitely some good moments tonight from our midfield general picking out some long passes and holding the team together well, but there were times when he gave away possession too easily. Some of the passes in the first half did not come off, however, he still provided help at both ends of the pitch to ensure we took a lead back to Stamford Bridge. Rating – 7
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Following the shock decision to take off Hudson-Odoi just 31 minutes after he was introduced against Southampton, it was important for him to bounce back tonight against Atletico. Despite not being the most influential player on the pitch, he did offer Chelsea a fair amount going forward. He also had some nice passages of play with Mason Mount which got us into a few dangerous positions. Rating – 7
Timo Werner
Having scored a vital goal for his confidence just over a week ago against Newcastle United, many expected to see him go on streak. This has not been the case, but he still was constantly involved in the good things we created. He made a couple of opportunities for himself and got into good positions but did not have that finishing touch. Rating – 6.5
Mason Mount
Yet again Mason Mount was one of the stars of the show, he had some excellent moments and often is the man to drive us up the pitch. It is annoying that he picked up a yellow card which prevents him from playing the second leg, but that just demonstrates what a crucial player he has become for us. Rating – 7.5
Olivier Giroud
There might not have been too much involvement during the game for Giroud, but ultimately, he produced an incredible goal to make the difference tonight. With a total of six goals in the competition, he ranks joint second in the top scorers. The goal was simply spectacular, and yet again he has shown why he is one of the most underrated players of this generation. Rating – 8.5
Substitutes: Hakim Ziyech – 6.5, N’Golo Kante – 6, Reece James – 6.5, Christian Pulisic – 6, Kai Havertz – 6
Overall, this was a fantastic display to claim a great win against a top European side, with the next leg due to be played on the 17th of March, Chelsea will be hoping to secure a spot in the Quarter-Finals in what would show some good progression from last season.