It was a tale too good to be true. Chelsea put in a shift for the ages at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday as it tried to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Many supporters simply asked that their team go out there and leave it all on the pitch. Despite the rally cries of hope and miracles, let’s be honest with ourselves, many of us believed flipping the tie on its head was a pipe dream against the biggest club in the world. However, we were proven wrong. Thomas Tuchel and his men dared supporters to dream—even if only for a brief period—on Tuesday.
The Blues went out swinging and that’s all that matters. Every single player poured their heart and soul into the 3-2 victory in the Spanish capital. The feeling amongst the fanbase is one of a bittersweet and gut-wrenching hopelessness after a 4-3 aggregate lead slowly slipped through the cracks. Nevertheless, it goes without saying this tie was not lost in Madrid. Mistakes and missed chances came back to bite Chelsea in the end. The Blues now officially bow out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarterfinal stage. Their title defense is no longer alive, but they were able to walk off the pitch at football’s greatest cathedral with their heads held high.
Here is how the players fared in the madness at the Santiago Bernabeu:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6.5/10
This tie was a reality check for Chelsea fans. While Edouard Mendy has been a fantastic custodian in goal for the Blues over the last two seasons, maybe the supporters—myself included—got a bit carried away with the “best in the world” talks. Mendy is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet, but it became increasingly obvious in these last two games against Real Madrid that Thibaut Courtois is still more consistent than the Senegalese international.
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Mendy’s defense let him down on numerous occasions, and maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but I believe he could have done better on Los Blancos’ first goal. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot as the home side gained its confidence back.
Reece James (Right centerback): 7.5/10
Reece James was fantastic on the night, aside from an early yellow card and a poor decision late on. He kept Vinicius Jr. in check throughout much of the night as he played in a hybrid right centerback/wingback role. The Englishman showed us once again why he is so important to this club and its future. James cemented his place as one of the best young fullbacks in football on Tuesday as he put on a clinic at both ends of the pitch. Unfortunately, he ventured off a bit too high up the pitch in extra time when N’Golo Kante gave the ball away, which left acres of space for the aforementioned Brazilian to run into. Vinicius Jr. put in a cross to Karim Benzema and the rest is history. James definitely isn’t solely to blame, he just needed to be a bit smarter in that scenario.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8.5/10
Thiago Silva’s outing flew under the radar for most of the second leg due to the fantastic performances some of his teammates put on. However, if it weren’t for the veteran defender, the Blues wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. Silva was tasked with shadowing Benzema throughout most of the game, which worked perfectly for a majority of the contest. The Frenchman struggled to get established on the ball, which often led to Real Madrid losing possession. Tuchel threw the kitchen sink at Los Blancos from the opening whistle, which meant the centerbacks had to be flawless in their defensive positioning and executions. They were close.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 9/10
Antonio Rudiger is a world class centerback. If you didn’t believe it before, you cannot hide from it any longer. He put on performance for the ages at the Santiago Bernabeu. The German defended with physicality, led with energy and even managed to keep a [relatively] level head throughout it all. The first priority of the new owner(s) should be to re-sign Rudiger after his near-perfect display in the second leg. It’s damn near impossible to overstate his importance to the club now.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Right wingback): 8/10
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been Chelsea’s [English] Army knife this season. While the midfielder may have not had a season as impactful as he had perhaps once hoped, it’s hard to say he hasn’t gotten some opportunities. Loftus-Cheek has played in numerous different positions this season, notably in new roles like centerback and right wingback. After a great outing against Saints at the weekend, the 26-year-old was given the starting nod against Real Madrid in the same role, right wingback. Loftus-Cheek played incredibly well, far exceeding any expectations fans had for him when the starting XI was released.
N’Golo Kante (Central midfielder): 6/10
Kante began the match with promise. He looked to be turning back time once again, putting in that classic, luxurious performance. However, as the match grew on, the Frenchman got worse. His under-hit pass to Loftus-Cheek ended up being the fatal blow dealt to the Blues as they turned the ball over in a risky area. For this reason, as well as a gradual decline throughout the game, Kante gets the worst rating of any player in the starting line-up.
Mateo Kovacic (Central midfielder): 8.5/10
Mateo Kovacic was out to prove a point in this contest—to everyone. He put on a dazzling display in order to prove to his manager why he should’ve started in the first leg. He ran the show in midfield in order to prove to Real Madrid that it let a world class midfielder go. Simply put, Kovacic was brilliant. Luka Modric—his Croatian compatriot—will get all of the plaudits for his super-human assist on Los Blancos’ opening goal. However, it’d be criminal to not praise the former Real Madrid man for his incredible match, as well.
Marcos Alonso (Left wingback): 8.5/10
Marcos Alonso was arguably the best player on the pitch for either side for much of this contest. There were initially some questions raised by fans when he was named on the starting team sheet about his ability to contribute defensively and keep Federico Valverde quiet. Alonso passed this test with flying colors and even managed to get in on the action at the other end. He was incredibly, and perhaps criminally, unlucky to have his goal ruled out for a supposed handball. Regardless, VAR cannot take away the brilliant night that the 31-year-old had on Tuesday.
Mason Mount (Right winger): 8.5/10
Irony is a funny little thing, isn’t it? Mason Mount haters—yes, somehow those exist, as laughable as the concept is nowadays—were harping all week about how he goes missing in big games. Yet, the youngster scored one of the most important goals of his career to date on Tuesday. Mount made the footballing world stop with his opening strike that rattled the back of Courtois’ net. He demanded attention and his individual skill is the reason Chelsea had an opportunity to climb back into the tie in the first place. Mount was one of the best players on display at the Bernabeu, chipping in with a goal and an assist for his 24th and 25th goal contributions of the season.
Kai Havertz (Center forward): 7.5/10
Kai Havertz was one of the unluckiest players in this match. He got a handful of excellent looks at goal, especially off crosses whipped into the box. He just couldn’t capitalize. The German fell to his knees with his face in his hands with just a few moments left when he realized he sent a free header wide of the mark, and it was hard not to feel for an individual who gave it everything he had for 120 minutes. Havertz was one of the best players for the Blues in the first leg, he sadly just couldn’t find the back of the net and replicate that success on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, he was still very good in every other aspect of the game. It’s become apparent over these last two legs against Real Madrid, if it wasn’t already, that the 22-year-old is the perfect fit as Chelsea’s No. 9. Tuchel has a building block for the future who is able to compete with the best at the position on any given evening.
Timo Werner (Left winger): 8.5/10
Could a performance at St. Mary’s Stadium against Southampton really be the catalyst for Timo Werner’s renaissance? I wouldn’t rule it out. The out-of-form German striker has had a rough go of things during his two seasons in west London. However, Tuesday was perhaps his best performance in a Blues shirt. Werner’s success at the weekend against Saints must be taken with a grain of salt considering Ralph Hasenhuttl’s high line and error-prone defense. The same cannot be said for Real Madrid’s defense though. Werner proved once again that when utilized correctly, he can be a real asset to this Chelsea side.
His goal made fans feel things they did not know were possible and although it didn’t end up being the winner, Werner secured his place as a beloved member of the squad forever on the evening.
Christian Pulisic (Left winger): 6/10
Christian Pulisic replaced Werner immediately following Real Madrid’s opening goal. The American was tasked with netting a late winner to ensure there wasn’t extra time, but he unfortunately couldn’t complete this tall order. That’s not to say he didn’t have opportunities though. Pulisic got a few great looks at goal before the end of regulation—he fired them over the bar. He wasn’t much better in extra time either. There is something to be said for his ability to get into good goalscoring positions, the 23-year-old just needed to at least steer them toward goal.
Fans took to Twitter to blame the U.S. international for the “loss” alongside Kante. The fact remains though that the Blues didn’t do anything to lose the tie on Tuesday. The careless errors in the first leg are entirely to blame. That’s not for one individual to stomach either.
Hakim Ziyech (Right winger): N/A
Similar to Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech was tasked with coming on and helping his side grab a goal. He replaced Kante in extra time as the Blues were chasing the tie at that point. The Moroccan played a few trademark crosses into the area and gave the visitors a few chances to level the tie. Unfortunately, none were headed on target. A decent cameo from Ziyech all things considered.
Saul (Central midfielder): N/A
There’s not much to be said about Saul’s performance. He was never expected to bring any unique, game-changing skillset to this match. His role was to replace Kovacic, who was gassed after playing 120 minutes. Saul’s overhit cross was the exact moment Chelsea fans knew their hopes of a miracle were dead in the water.
Jorginho (Central midfielder): N/A
Just like Saul, Jorginho was brought on as nothing more than fresh legs when the Blues needed them most. The Italian international found himself on the end of Chelsea’s best chance at a fourth goal in extra time, but he fired wide from a few yards out. If it’d been almost anyone else on the end of it, this could’ve been an entirely different story being written right now. That sounds like a dig at Jorginho, but it truly isn’t. The defensive midfielder is only a goalscoring threat from the penalty spot, credit to him for getting into dangerous areas though.
Thomas Tuchel (Manager): 9/10
There aren’t enough good things one can say about Tuchel after that contest. Simply put, it was a tactical masterclass from one of the best managers in world football. He made Carlo Ancelotti look like an amateur in the second leg, as pointed out by our colleagues over at The Real Champs. Tuchel was out there playing chess while Ancelotti was hung up on checkers. The German’s gameplan was brilliant from the opening whistle and it’s a true shame his side couldn’t pull it out. Tuchel showed the world that anything is possible with a world class manager on the touchline.
What rating would you give to each player? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!