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Football London
Football London
Sport
Adam Newson

Chelsea player ratings vs Real Madrid: James outstanding, Kante mistakes costly, Mount delivers

Edouard Mendy

The Senegal international would have been desperate to make up for his error in the first leg, but Mendy didn't have an opportunity in the opening period as Chelsea controlled possession and restricted Real Madrid to just three shots on goal, which were all off-target. That changed after the interval when Mendy was forced into a smart stop to deny Karim Benzema from a free-kick.

However, he could do nothing about Rodrygo's goal, which came about after a quite frankly ridiculous pass from Luka Modric. The finish was not bad either. Mendy was beaten again by Karim Benzema in extra time but again could do little to stop the Frenchman's header, which was planted into the bottom corner. 7

Reece James

Given the difficulties Andreas Christensen experienced in the first leg up against Vinicius Junior, it was no great surprise that James was drafted in to play on the right of the back three. And he handled himself expertly in the opening period, halting four dribbles by Real Madrid players, the most of anyone on the pitch.

He continued to defend expertly in the second half despite being on a booking since the early stages. This was another high-class performance from James on the biggest stage. 9

Thiago Silva

Given the task that faced Chelsea before kick-off, the experience of Silva was going to be vital. And he marshalled the backline expertly. There was never any panic shown by the Blues centre-back, even when he was left in one-on-one situations against Karim Benzema.

He was caught under the ball for Rodryo's goal, but the pass from Modric was so precise that it was difficult to attach blame to Silva. 8

Antonio Rudiger

Much like Silva, Chelsea needed a flawless performance from Rudiger. It wasn't exactly that, but the German was a commanding presence and came close early on with a header over the crossbar. He corrected that in the second period, though, as he nodded a Mount corner beyond Courtois to draw the Blues level in the tie.

Chelsea were able to claim the lead soon after, but it wasn't one they could hang onto. Rudiger was unfortunate to slip in the build-up to Benzema's winner. It was an unfortunate moment. 8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Ahead of the game, Tuchel described Loftus-Cheel's role as "hybrid", and that's exactly what it proved to be. He pushed up the pitch in possession, and James tucked into right-back. But when the Blues didn't have the ball, Loftus-Cheek would drop back into a wing-back position. It was certainly an intensive role and one that appeared to take a toll on the midfielder as the game progressed.

Still, Loftus-Cheek had positive moments, but he was involved – alongside N'Golo Kante – in the indecisiveness that led to Real Madrid reclaiming the lead in extra time. That proved to be a goal that Chelsea could not recover from. 7

N'Golo Kante

There was an energy to Kante's game early on, and he patrolled the midfield with purpose in the opening period. He also used the ball effectively as Chelsea were able to sustain possession in the Real Madrid half and control the contest.

His distribution was a little looser after the break, and it was his intercepted pass forward that led to Real Madrid's goal that drew them level. And in extra time, he opted not to go and collect a loose ball, and that allowed Vinicius time to pick out Karim Benzema, who headed home. 7

Mateo Kovacic

That the Croatian didn't start in the first leg was one of the more curious decisions made by Tuchel. But he rectified things at the Bernabeu and deployed Kovacic alongside Kante. It paid off. The 27-year-old was a calming presence in possession, and when the home side did attempt to press, he was able to wriggle beyond challenges and into space.

As the game progressed, Kovacic covered a huge amount of ground to keep the home side's attackers at bay. He certainly didn't deserve to be on the losing side on his return to the Bernabeu. 9

Marcos Alonso

The Spaniard started his career at Real Madrid before being sold to Bolton Wanderers in 2010. So he would have wanted to prove a point, especially as he didn't get to do so in the first leg. Alonso did well in the first half as Chelsea dominated the contest; he rarely had to defend against Federico Valverde.

And midway through the second period, he thought he had scored the previous third goal for Chelsea, the one that put them ahead in the tie for the first half. But VAR harshly spotted the ball had stuck his arm ahead of his finish and ruled it out. It was a harsh blow. 8

Mason Mount

The academy graduate came into this game with his confidence restored after scoring twice and registering an assist. So it was perhaps no surprise that when the first clear opportunity of the game fell to Mount, he took it with aplomb to beat Thibaut Courtois from the edge of the box.

Mount then delivered an inch-perfect corner in the second half, from which Rudiger powered his header home to bring Chelsea level in the tie. The Blues then went ahead through Werner but were not able to hold onto their lead as Real Madrid turned things around in extra time. 8

Kai Havertz

Havertz was Chelsea's best performer in the first leg, and the Blues needed a similar display from their silky German. He didn't quite get into as many dangerous positions, but the 22-year-old was excellent at holding onto possession when the ball came his way and was unfortunate not to find the net with a header that Courtois excellently saved.

And late in extra time, Havertz was presented with a golden opportunity to draw the Blues level. James swung a cross into the box, and the German was free and unmarked. But he agonisingly directed his header wide. It was a huge chance missed. 7

Timo Werner

After his two goals against Southampton at the weekend, Tuchel kept faith with Werner. It was a big opportunity for the German forward to make his mark. In the opening 45 minutes, he covered plenty of ground to ensure Chelsea's press was far more restrictive than a week ago, but he didn't receive the ball often.

Yet Werner did have one vital touch in the first period as he directed the ball into the path of Mount with his knee for the England international's brilliantly taken goal. He had an equally important moment after the break – and it was one packed full of quality and poise. 8

Substitutes

Christian Pulisic (for Timo Werner, 83)

The American star was introduced late on and was presented with two chances to win the game in normal time. Unfortunately, both were missed, and Pulisic was also poor in possession. 5

Hakim Ziyech (for N'Golo Kante, 100)

Introduced after Chelsea had fallen behind in the tie, Ziyech had one shot saved by Courtois. 6

Jorginho (for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 105)

Had 15 minutes to help Chelsea find an equaliser and wasn't able to. N/A

Saul Niguez (for Mateo Kovacic, 105)

Part of Tuchel's midfield refresh in extra time. Didn't make an impact. N/A

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