Chelsea 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain (2-8): On a night when Liam Rosenior’s side needed a goal to keep their European hopes alive, they were stunned by the French champions.
Chelsea endured a tough night in the Champions League, losing 8-2 on aggregate to PSG (Image: Ryan Pearce)
Paris Saint-Germain were condemned to early European exit by Chelsea with two goals in the opening 14 minutes, as the reigning Champions League holders cruised to a 7-2 aggregate victory over their Premier League opponents.
Kviča Kvaratschelia scored just six minutes later, and Bradley Barcola doubled PSG’s advantage in the 14th minute, almost leveling the score.
Both teams traded blows for the remainder of the match, with João Pedro closing in on the hosts before half-time. With the Blues limping away from Europe at the Round of 16 stage, it was Seni Mayur who inflicted further pain on the hosts with a late third goal.
Here are the talking points from Mirror Football’s big match…
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1) The beginning of a nightmare
It took PSG just six minutes to end the draw and condemn Chelsea to an early exit from the Champions League.
The reigning European champions attacked directly, with Kvaratschelia getting the better of Mamadou Sarr and the ball wriggling beneath him. A miscalculation by the young defender gave Georgia’s attackers a clear look at the goal. He was clinical and made the most of it.
If the clinical Kuvaratschelia had dealt the fatal blow, eight minutes later the genius Barcola rubbed salt into Chelsea’s wounds, firing a sublime shot past Roberto Sanchez into the top corner and adding sparkle to PSG’s already insurmountable lead.
2) The Blues lost to the champions.
Bradley Barcola scores a stunning goal for PSG (Image: Sandra Ruhaut/Icon Sport)
Paris Saint-Germain deservedly won this competition last year, defeating Inter 5-0 in the final to claim their first Champions League title.
And if there were any doubts about whether Luis Enrique’s side will be able to defend their European title, the wins in these two games will help ease those fears. Yes, they will face tougher challenges as they seek back-to-back titles. But winning a tie in the Champions League by six goals is quite a feat.
It would have been easy for them to be satisfied at Stamford Bridge given the size of their overall lead. However, in terms of efficiency, PSG were 5 stars on both sides of the channel.
3) I felt James’ absence.
Chelsea captain Reece James was sidelined with a hamstring injury. And they certainly missed him on what could have been a famous night at Stamford Bridge.
James is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the Premier League, and any team would suffer without a player of his quality. It would have helped Chelsea’s cause a lot if he was able to perform here. And if he misses most of the remaining games of the season, along with the unfortunate Trevor Chalobah, who was stretchered off with a serious injury late in the season, things will get even worse for the Blues.
4) Fans don’t hold back.
It would be a tough task for any team in Europe to get PSG through the second leg, but Chelsea failed to deliver on a night when they needed a goal to stay in the Champions League.
Stamford Bridge fans booed loudly during the break as the visitors equalized within six minutes with an early goal. And just over an hour after Chelsea’s Champions League campaign officially came to a close, the mood did not improve.
5) Rosenia and her companions sent a brutal demand letter.
Liam Rosenier and Chelsea endured a tough night (Image: Ryan Pearce)
If this were a boxing match, it would have been called off long before Mayur added his third goal in the first hour.
Liam Rosenior replaced Enzo Maresca in January and inherited a well-rounded squad. But talks with PSG will reveal the gulf between him and Europe’s elite, both for him and the club’s hierarchy.
Chelsea were crowned Club World Cup champions in the summer and have a rich history of winning the competition twice. However, they now appear far removed from Europe’s elites.
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