Any hopes of Chelsea bouncing back from a 4-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday were extinguished within the opening 30 minutes of their clash with Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.
Thomas Tuchel is looking for his second consecutive trophy in the tournament, but Karim Benzema appeared hell-bent on denying him. Two excellent headers in the first half put Los Blancos in command and he rounded off his hat-trick before many fans had retaken their seats for the second half.
It remains to be seen whether Kai Havertz's header in between the Frenchman's strikes will mean anything. For now, football.london has taken a look at how the national media reacted to the humbling defeat.
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The Mirror
"Karim Benzema scored a stunning treble to put Real Madrid in the driving seat of their Champions League quarter-final tie against defending champions Chelsea.
"Having netted a stunning quickfire hat-trick to down Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Round of 16 tie, Benzema took his superb run of form in the competition to Stamford Bridge. The Frenchman produced a virtuoso performance at Stamford Bridge, following on his devastating hat-trick against PSG with another against the defending European champions.
"The first two goals showed his link-up play, positional awareness and of course, his ability to contort his body and guide powerful headers beyond even the very best goalkeepers. While the third was a gift, it was a result of his relentless and endless pressing – even more admirable considering his advancing years."
BBC Sport
"Chelsea battled to the end of this first leg but were always fighting an uphill task after they were hit by Benzema's brilliant one-two and then saw their hopes of mounting a comeback wrecked by a self-inflicted wound.
"Real had already delivered a warning about the danger they posed when Vinicius Junior hit the bar but that went unheeded as he provided the cross for Benzema's flying headed opener.
"And once Benzema had confirmed his aerial threat with a second, Chelsea were always vulnerable against a side who are the masters of these Champions League situations."
The Guardian
"Sometimes the old ones are the best. Written off as too slow to handle the pace of modern football, this was Real Madrid turning back the clock and reminding the rest of Europe that there will always be a place in the game for midfielders as smart as Luka Modric and strikers as deadly as Karim Benzema.
"It did not matter that Modric is 36 or that Benzema, who has scored consecutive hat-tricks in the Champions League, is 34. By the end the notion that Chelsea would run through Madrid felt preposterous. Carlo Ancelotti, a veteran of these encounters, had outwitted Thomas Tuchel. Toni Kroos, who turned 32 in January, had helped Modric run the game. Benzema had completely obliterated Chelsea’s defence.
"This was a battering. It was only 3-1, which gives Chelsea hope of reaching the last four when they visit the Bernabéu on Tuesday, but it is difficult to see the European champions turning this quarter-final around."
Sky Sports
"Chelsea's attempt to blow Real Madrid away with a blistering start ultimately contributed to their early demise, with their eagerness to attack leaving chasms in midfield and at the back for Real to exploit, which they very nearly did inside 10 minutes, when Vinicius Junior rattled the crossbar.
"An evening which started with the reigning European champions intent at laying down a marker at the quarter-final stage, ended with a sobering Champions League clinic being administered by the 13-time winners.
"Chelsea's defence - and season - hangs in the balance. With the Premier League title long gone, defending their European crown was the last big prize on offer to Thomas Tuchel's side but, now, not even the German can make a case for a comeback."
