Chelsea booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with an away victory at Lille to romp home 4-1 on aggregate.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were overwhelming favourites to progress having won last month’s first leg at Stamford Bridge 2-0, but were given a scare by the French champions. Burak Yilmaz’s first half penalty after Jorginho’s handball was just reward for the home side’s early promise but the European champions fought back.
Christian Pulisic equalised brilliantly on the stroke of half-time after being picked out by a sumptuous Jorginho pass, before Cesar Azpilicueta gave the Blues the lead on the night as he prodded home from Mason Mount’s cross.
Here are the five main talking points as the Blues continued their defence of the Champions League title.
More joy on the pitch
Chelsea have now won in 11 of their past 12 matches in all competitions with the one blotch on that record their EFL Cup final loss to Liverpool on penalties. The Blues have hit top form after a difficult Christmas period and are still battling on three fronts.
While a Premier League title push is beyond Thomas Tuchel’s side, they are still very firmly in the hunt to win both the FA Cup and Champions League. Of course, they reached the finals of both competitions last season and are right up there with the favourites to win both trophies this year.
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Real Madrid are the only club who have successfully defended the Champions League title since its reformation from the European Cup – demonstrating the difficulties of the task at hand. No side will fancy facing Tuchel’s Euro masters in Friday’s quarter-final draw.
…but uncertainty remains off the field
The West London club are desperate to secure a new owner amid a budget crisis, with their funds dictated by the British government in the wake of the sanctions imposed on Blues owner Roman Abramovich. The billionaire has had his assets frozen in the UK in the wake of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, although he continues to deny any links to president Vladimir Putin. The EU have subsequently imposed further sanctions on the oligarch.
Three have suspended their partnership, worth £40million per annum, with the Blues and ahead of kick-off on Wednesday released a statement reiterating their desire to remove their logos from the club’s shirts.
On Saturday, the Premier League confirmed they had suspended Abramovich as director of the club. Barclays have also suspended the club's bank account and there's a possibility the Blues could face financial armageddon between now and the summer due to the precarious situation. Whether the Blues can sell tickets for their later Champions League games remains unclear, with more questions than answers on the club’s future.
Tuchel’s remarkable cup record
Tuchel has a remarkable managerial record not only in the Champions League, but in all cup competitions. He did of course navigate Chelsea’s path to the trophy last season having reached the previous campaign’s final with Paris Saint-Germain – the French club’s only final appearance to date.
However, Tuchel’s cup record is astonishing – he has reached the final in all seven of the most recent cup competitions in which he has coached. Alongside the two Champions Leagues, he also reached the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue finals for PSG, along with the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Club World Cup for Chelsea. Blues fans will be dreaming he continues that remarkable streak this season.
From hero to villain
Chelsea made a slightly surprising tactical tweak to a 3-5-2 system, rather than their usual setup of playing three players in attack. This shift ensured that the Blues had an extra man in midfield against Lille’s 4-4-2 setup.
That spare man was more often than not Jorginho, who was constantly finding space in the middle of the pitch to dictate play. The Italy international was at the heart of the best and worst of Chelsea’s in the opening half, playing a pivotal role in both goals.
For Lille’s opener, his careless handball gifted the home side an opener from the penalty spot in the 38 th minute. However, he atoned for his error before the break with a wonderfully threaded through-ball for Pulisic’s leveller on the stroke of half-time – the moment that effectively killed the tie.
Havertz the main man
There is now little question over Chelsea’s main man in attack – Kai Havertz once again started as the central attacking player for Tuchel’s side in Lille. There could be no surprise over that selection, with the German international having netted five goals in his previous five matches.
Prior to that, Havertz had scored just six times in his first 44 Premier League appearances and whilst he had shown glimpses of his undoubted quality – and of course last season’s winning Champions League strike – his output had been varied without a defined role in the team. Now he has that, with club record signing Romelu Lukaku now regularly missing out on starting line-ups.
Joe Cole told BT Sport ahead of the match: "I’m so impressed with him. He’s playing the number nine role like a seasoned, centre-forward. His timing, his aggressive movement. What he does well, which I thought was a problem for him due to his midfield tendencies, is try and come for the ball. All good centre-forwards think how they can lose their markers, but he’s brilliant at it."
Rio Ferdinand added on the former Bayer Leverkusen ace: "The streets liven up when you see goals like that (against Newcastle on Sunday). It is like a Berbatov, Robin van Persie touch, how slick it is, velcro vibes on the edge of his toe and an exquisite finish. I love watching him play."
On commentary, Glenn Hoddle raved about the player’s “confidence” with the club now finding his “natural position” in attack. The Blues continued to look slick and free-flowing in attack with Havertz the most advanced player. He did not score on the night – but his position in the side now appears secured for the rest of the season.
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