Chelsea strolled into the last eight of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid. The win extends Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten run to 13 games, a record start for the German.
With 1-0 first-leg lead under their belt, the Blues finished the job in a professional manner. Emerson’s late strike sealed the win after Hakim Ziyech had earlier put the Premier League side in control with a low finish from a pinpoint Timo Werner cross.
Chelsea did get lucky in the first half, however. They survived a strong penalty shout after Atleti winger Yannick Carrasco was pulled back by Cesar Azpilicueta. Italian ref Daniele Orsato waved away the claim, and the incident was not referred to VAR. Otherwise, though, La Liga leaders were disappointing.
13 – @ChelseaFC are unbeaten in their 13 games under Thomas Tuchel in all competitions, the longest ever unbeaten start by a manager for the Blues in the club's history. Methods. #CHEATM pic.twitter.com/uq5EO4GAdB
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 17, 2021
“The most important thing is that we feel we deserve this,” Tuchel said afterwards.
“It’s most important you feel it and that no one has to convince you – you need to feel it.
“They play with a special bond and performances and results like this give you a certain edge and glue to achieve special things. You can only achieve this through results and experiences.”
Man of the match: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Match highlights: