When Ben Chilwell grabbed them arm of Rodrygo, it sucked the ability out of Chelsea's ability to truly feel competitive against Real Madrid in the first leg. Of course, the Blues managed to create some chances but Chilwell's departure recorded among the biggest cheers of that night and whipped the Bernabeu crowd up into a frenzy.
At 1-0, Chelsea had struggled but were always just one moment away from leaving their opponents in difficulty. After the red card, they were forced to lose any attacking impetus and to withstand pressure, a dangerous game as Marco Asensio proved.
It was perhaps a situation Chelsea should not have found themselves in as Marc Cucurella was too slow to respond to Rodrygo's run before Chilwell is too keen to make the foul. This was not a guaranteed goal given the pressure the Real star was under and without a simple finish with Kepa Arrizabalaga still to beat from an angle.
