Five reasons for Chelsea's collapse
ROUND OF 16, SECOND LEG
CHELSEA 2
(Gary Cahill 81, Eden Hazard 96-pen)
PARIS ST GERMAIN 2
(David Luiz 86, Thiago Silva 114)
- 3-3 on aggregate after extra time, PSG advance on away goals rule
The odds were in their favour.
Playing at home and armed with a handy away goal from their 1-1 draw in the first leg in Paris, Chelsea even had the numerical advantage yesterday morning (Singapore time) after Paris St Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was harshly sent off in the 31st minute.
But the Blues crumbled. They dished out one of their worst performances this season. What went wrong for them?
POOR AT DEFENDING SET-PIECES
For a team known for their defensive organisation and reliability, Chelsea were astonishingly poor to concede the two goals they did.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said: "We concede two goals from two set-pieces where the organisation is clear, the markers are absolutely decided and the players are all the same… Two goals that were difficult to accept."
Branislav Ivanovic was at fault for PSG's first goal, switching off when the corner kick was floated into the penalty box.
The fullback lost David Luiz, and couldn't recover in time to stop the Brazilian's bullet header.
John Terry was the culprit in extra time. He was supposed to be marking Thiago Silva but he got nowhere near the ball when the PSG captain headed past Thibaut Courtois.
SUCCUMBING TO PRESSURE
Chelsea were the favourites to go through. But they wilted under the stress.
It perhaps explained for their lethargy.
They received a huge gift from referee Bjorn Kuipers who wrongly sent off Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 31st minute.
But instead of capitalising on the numerical advantage, the Blues were inferior to their opponents in every department.
Mourinho said: "When a team cannot cope with the pressure of being with one player more playing at home, and the stadium doesn't accept the team have to control the game and want them to go on and win it… we couldn't cope with that pressure."
With experienced players such as Terry, Ivanovic and Cesc Fabregas in their ranks, they were expected to perform much better than this.
PAYING THE PRICE FOR DISRESPECT
Mourinho has a habit of shooting his mouth off.
This time, he shot himself in the foot with the comments he made.
Before the draw was made, he said he preferred PSG as their opponents, because of the proximity between Paris and London.
Before the match, he also said Chelsea's training session is more intense than a French Ligue 1 match.
The PSG players used that as motivation.
Silva said: "It was not revenge (for last season's defeat by Chelsea), but they didn't respect us.
PSG'S MIDFIELD MASTERCLASS
PSG controlled the most crucial area of the pitch - midfield.
Thiago Motta had a tough assignment in front of the defence, especially since they were a man down for the majority of the game.
But he was immense during the match, providing a rock-solid shield for the backline.
Marco Verratti's industry was admirable. Possibly PSG's best player during the match, he challenged the ball with gusto and operated as a creative outlet at the same time.
By comparison, Oscar and Fabregas were anonymous. Nemanja Matic was nowhere near his best.
Despite being a man up, Chelsea lost the midfield battle.
PSG'S FIGHTING SPIRIT
PSG deserve plenty of credit for not giving up despite playing with a man less for about 90 minutes.
Twice, they went behind, but clawed their way back.
Their task was made harder by the fact that they needed to score, as a goalless draw would have booted them out of the competition on the away goals rule.
The statistics tell you that they were not just plain lucky.
According to Opta, they made 12 goal attempts, and managed the same number of shots on target - six - as Chelsea.
They had 51 per cent of possession, made 538 passes (12 more than Chelsea) and earned 11 corners (four more than Chelsea).
With this win, PSG can rightly say they are among Europe's elite.
With this appetite, don't be surprised if they go all the way to the final.
"When a team cannot defend two corners and concede two goals, a team don’t deserve to win."
- Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho criticising his own team
MOURINHO: WE DESERVED TO LOSE
Jose Mourinho was scathing in his assessment of Chelsea and believes his side deserved to exit the Champions League to Paris St Germain yesterday morning (Singapore time).
The Blues twice allowed 10-man PSG to come from behind to draw 2-2 and win an ill-tempered last-16 tie on away goals at Stamford Bridge.
"We didn't deserve to go through," Mourinho said.
"When a team cannot defend two corners and concede two goals, a team don't deserve to win.
"The individual performances were not good enough and, when you concede two goals from two corners, it's about lack of concentration, lack of responsibility to cope with the markers and the space you have to control.
"When a team cannot cope with the pressure of being one player more and playing at home... we couldn't cope with that pressure.
"We deserved to be punished with this draw, defeat."
The first leg was drawn 1-1 and Chelsea's advantage grew when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was harshly sent off after 31 minutes.
Gary Cahill's strike nine minutes from the end of normal time was cancelled out by former Chelsea defender David Luiz, but the hosts went ahead for a second time through an Eden Hazard penalty early in extra time.
PSG captain Thiago Silva, who conceded the spot-kick for handball, was denied from a corner by Thibaut Courtois but then netted with a header moments later to make it 2-2 on the night and send the visitors through.
The French outfit were eliminated from the competition last term by Chelsea on the away goals rule, but advanced to the last eight for a third straight season.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc defended his team's combative approach.
"Matches at the highest level are full of pressure and tension," he said.
"Things do go on on both sides. Both sides put pressure on the opposition, and Chelsea did their fair share of that.
"It had happened even before the match with their manager, exerting pressure on the referee. That's part of the mind games, and all fair and good.
"But if you take out these elements of unsporting behaviour, I think my team were better than Chelsea in every area of the pitch.
"PSG's qualification is deserved. We tried to play more football than Chelsea and created more dangerous chances.
"We were very solid defensively. On the set-pieces, the centre backs were great, both offensively and defensively, as it was their goals that enabled us to go through. It was a fantastic performance by the whole squad."
Mourinho and Chelsea, meanwhile, are left to focus on their bid for the Blues' first Premier League title in five years, which resumes on Sunday at home to Southampton.
The Portuguese is demanding an explanation from his players for the sub-par performance.
"I want to know," he said. "I told the players after the game that it's not the moment to speak with them about it. (On Thursday), we will try to analyse that.
"For me, it was a surprise. So I'm disappointed, but I try always to be pragmatic and, when the opponents were better than us, the first feeling is we deserved to lose. Analyse the situation is the next step.
"We need to react. We have the Premier League to win and we are in a good situation. There's no time to cry. If we win the Premier League and League Cup, this season is still a fantastic season for us."
Chelsea are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand. - PA Sport.
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