Chelsea ensured they were in the hat for Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw with a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Defending a single goal lead from the first leg, Chelsea were heavily fancied to qualify for the next stage and goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson were enough to guide the London side through.
Ziyech’s goal, just after the half hour mark, came shortly after his teammate was given an almighty reprieve. A feeble back pass from Cesar Azpilicueta gave Yannick Carrasco a brief glimpse on goal when the Chelsea captain appeared to bring down the Argentine attacker. Referee Daniele Orsato wasn’t interested and his defiant stance was supported by VAR. If Atletico were down over that decision then things were about to get worse.
Chelsea, much improved under Thomas Tuchel, produced the only bit of magic in a largely quiet first half and it resulted in the Morrocan forward hitting the back of the net. A quick counter from the home side freed Timo Werner on the left flank and the German’s accurate cross was finished by the unmarked Ziyech from close range.
With the Spanish visitors possessing a reputation as a formidable defensive unit, they were found wanting at the opposite end of the pitch as they failed to trouble Chelsea’s resilient backline.
Diego Simeone introduced a number of attacking options from the bench in the second period, including Thomas Lemar and Angel Correa. Both failed to have any impact and Atletico’s task was made almost impossible when Stefan Savic was sent off for an elbow on Antonio Rudiger late on. Atletico's misery was increased in stoppage time as another Chelsea break saw Emerson fire low into the bottom corner to double the lead and make the aggregate score emphatic.
Friday’s draw has the potential to bring up many high-quality clashes. Most teams will want to avoid Manchester City and Bayern Munich, but in this form, Chelsea will fancy their chances against any of the leading sides.