Cesar Azpilicueta had the final say as Chelsea progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals.
Thomas Tuchel's men were temporarily rocked in Lille after Burak Yilmaz's penalty gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the second leg of their last-16 clash. But the European champions weathered the storm, before Christian Pulisic's equaliser in first-half stoppage time shifted momentum towards the visitors.
Tuchel switched up formation at the break, the Blues took control and Azpilicueta sealed a 2-1 victory on the night and 4-1 aggregate triumph. Not for the first time, the club's 'Mr. Dependable' came up trumps.
And, when all was said and done, the Blues' place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League ensured a tidy £8.9million windfall from UEFA. Chelsea will not receive that immediately given their current situation and will have to wait until after the Champions League is concluded for it to be paid out by UEFA.
But, at a time where the club's long-term future is in question, following sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and with the club unable to sell matchday tickets or merchandise while certain restrictions are in place, it is an undoubted boost for the Blues. The current sanctions do not interfere with European prize money.
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After safely earning their place in the last eight, Tuchel explained his belief that the uncertainty surrounding the club off the field is sharpening his team's performances on it.
"We are all competitors and I experienced, once I was part of the [Chelsea] family, a very competitive spirit and a very competitive club," Tuchel said. "I think Chelsea are so clear as a club about what they demand of every employee and every player: play your role, play to the limit, and take responsibility.
"This is what Chelsea is about. It sharpens your mentality and brings out the best of you. It's normal to do it on a daily basis and because this mentality is installed over years and years – decades – it plays a big part as to why we can stay focused and produce results as we do at the moment when things are uncertain and unstable around us.
"It's already there and we live it on a daily basis. We try to encourage and support the players in the best way possible. Still, I am very proud that they can do it like this."
Chelsea can come up against Villarreal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the last 8. When asked who he would like to avoid, Tuchel insists teams should be fearing them.
"I want us to be the team nobody wants to play. This is the role we see ourselves in this round of eight," he said with a smile. "We fight for the top four places in the toughest league maybe in the world right now [the Premier League ] and we fight in the last eight again [in the Champions League].
"So this brings out the best in us and we want to be the team nobody wants to play against. So let's see what happens."
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