Oh, what a night!
Chelsea produced a stunning 2-1 victory at Atletico Madrid’s new stadium, Wanda Metropolitano, to secure their second successive Champions League win which prolonged their unbeaten streak in September.
In a game in which the Premier League Champions dominated the majority of possession, in addition to the match’s most purposeful scoring opportunities, it was Atleti who took the lead following a moment of uncharacteristic carelessness for the ‘reborn’ David Luiz – his foul was reminiscent of his first spell in West London.
Despite having fallen behind, having dictated proceedings for much of the game, Conte’s men were buoyed by their promising display and started the second half with intent and vigour. Alvaro Morata scored his seventh Chelsea goal with a stunning header, his linkup play with Hazard was almost telepathic. And as he often does, Bathsuayi was in the right place, at the right time to score a dramatic winner.
- The best European performance for a while
Dominating a team of the highest repute, away in the Champions League is a rarity for even the best teams in European Football, yet that’s exactly what Conte and his heroic sentinels achieved last night. We visited a team who seek solace in their exemplary defensive record and terrorised their defence, Eden Hazard produced one of his best Champions League displays while Atletico’s defence was experiencing great difficulty trying to negate the shrewd movement of Alvaro Morata.
The score suggests that the game was a tight, cagy affair with both teams making a creditable charge for all three points. In truth, we dominated the game and should have scored more. 18 shots away from home is certainly impressive. It was only Simeone’s second defeat in the Champions League at home as Atletico’s manager.
- Alvaro Morata is Conte’s man!
The pair has repeatedly expressed their desire to work with each other, and this collective enthusiasm is certainly coming to fruition. In his opening seven Chelsea games, the 24-year-old has scored seven goals and registered two assists, four of which have been headers. This aerial prowess combined with his untraceable movement ensures that Morata has a telling influence on the game. What a start he’s had to his Chelsea career.
- Michy Batshuayi can make a purposeful impression
Despite enduring a difficult start to his Chelsea career, the Belgian is beginning to thrive, and his new-found confidence is tangible. He flaunts a remarkable total of 14 goals in 35 games for the Blues, which is astonishingly good considering that most of those appearances were as a substitute. In fact, 50% of his Chelsea goals have been scored in the last ten minutes of games, illustrative of his ability to positively affect the game.
- David Luiz must regain his discipline
Before his sending off against Arsenal, the charismatic Brazilian was conceivably our best player. While the point isn’t directly applicable to last night’s game, Luiz had a decent performance before his reckless foul in the box. It was needless, it was instinctive, and it was poor. His ill-discipline threatened to render our heroic display as utterly futile.
- Inconsistent officiating
While everyone recognises that Luiz’s shirt-grab warranted a foul, it was exceedingly strenuous to watch the referee, Cüneyt Çakir, award a penalty for an identical challenge to one that Marcos Alonso suffered in the box. The Spaniard had his shirt cynically pulled by an Atleti defender in the penalty area only minutes before the Spanish team had scored their opening goal. It’s consistency and transparency that we crave, and on another night Cakir’s mistake could have proved costly.
Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts!
