Chelsea player ratings: Barcelona (A)

One of Chelsea’s best performances this season, and yet Barcelona ran out convincing 3-0 winners in the second leg of a Champions League round of 16 encounter, a game that was ultimately defined by individual errors over collective excellence.

Olivier Giroud’s selection to lead the line seemed to only suggest good things before kick-off, but Chelsea got off to the worst possible start when Lionel Messi got his second goal of the tie with a driven shot that squirmed under the legs of Thibaut Courtois to put Barcelona in the ascendancy almost straight from kick-off.

The Blues clearly had a positive attacking mindset, especially with the need for goals now ever more apparent, and Willian, Eden Hazard and Giroud linked up well to create opportunities, not only themselves, but also for the onrushing Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses.

A sloppy pass from Cesc Fabregas undid all Chelsea’s good work in the 20th minute though, when Messi picked up his stray ball and ran past two challenges before squaring the ball to Ousmane Dembele, who found the back of the net with a powerful finish.

Chelsea still needed two goals to progress, and on the stroke of half-time, they came incredibly close to halving the deficit when Alonso’s whipped free-kick struck the post with an agonising thud.

The second-half, if anything, saw Chelsea improve and N’Golo Kante in particular impressed as Antonio Conte’s men pushed for a goal. The Frenchman should have left the ball to Fabregas to curl home but instead, he took it on and skewed his effort wide.

Messi put the game out of sight midway through the second-half when he put the ball through the legs of Courtois for the second time, securing his team’s place in the last eight.

Antonio Rudiger’s late header struck the underside of the bar, but even that failed to materialise any sort of consolation goal.

Here are my Chelsea player ratings:

Thibaut Courtois – 4

Two horrific mistakes for both the first and third goal, he clearly has a weakness in letting shots under his body as was also exposed by Patrick Van Aanholt at the weekend. He also got incredibly lucky when he blocked Luis Suarez’s shot having gifted the ball to him with a sloppy pass to Andreas Christensen. He should count himself lucky that there isn’t a surplus of top-class keeper’s or in all honesty, I would make a point of selling him in the summer.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 5

Didn’t win a single aerial duel and stood off Barcelona’s attack despite the obvious danger they posed. Made just two interceptions and no blocked shots.

Andreas Christensen – 5

Dollowing Fabregas’ inaccurate pass, Christensen horribly mistimed his tackle on Messi, letting the Argentinian bare down on goal with a free range of attacking options and space to pick from, which he gratefully accepted

Antonio Rudiger – 6

The best of the three defenders as his brash and irrational approach helped to plug the gaps that Barcelona were trying to fill. Unlucky to see his header strike the woodwork – the fourth time Chelsea had hit the post or bar over the two legs.

Victor Moses – 6

Enjoyed so much space in the first-half, and Chelsea made sure the ball made its way to the Nigerian but his final ball disappointed as he consistently failed to beat the first man. Three dribbles is an example of his attacking endeavour but his lack of accuracy led to his withdrawal midway through the second-half.

Cesc Fabregas – 5

He was off the pace throughout misplacing passes or taking heavy touches, which is all the more frustrating when you remember that he is the man qualified enough to be tasked with holding onto the ball and pulling the strings with his passing ability – especially from deep. He was more fazed by the occasion than was to be expected, instead of relishing the idea of playing his boyhood team, he constantly fell into the backdrop of the game.

N’Golo Kante – 7

Became more involved in the second half, and as a result, racked up yet another set of impressive stats – eight tackles and four interceptions in a reverse of the first-leg, when he was merely a bystander to Sergio Busquets’ destructive command of the midfield.

Really should have let Fabregas take on the shot from inside the area though, as he was far better placed to get a clean shot off.

Marcos Alonso – 7

Was heavily instrumental in Chelsea’s attacking play, offering a well-timed and effective overlap. He let off four shots and was it not for the determination of Umtiti, or the seemingly cursed woodwork, then Alonso could have helped himself to a goal or two. Arguably should’ve had a penalty when he was pushed by Gerard Pique.

Willian – 7

Easily Chelsea’s best player on the night as he has been for large periods of this season. He completed seven dribbles and every time he got hold of the ball, he seemed able to spin away from any defensive advance before picking out a ball. With this, however, came many occasions in which he surrendered possession in dangerous areas, allowing Barcelona to counter. All in all, however, he was a constant threat and were Umtiti in less imperious form, then the Brazilian really could’ve capitalised.

Olivier Giroud – 6

His play was sporadic as he either managed quite easily to hold up the ball or give it away cheaply and as a result, dangerous moves broke down at the final stage. He also managed just one shot during over an hour on the pitch.

Eden Hazard – 6

A similar performance to Willian in the sense of the directness of his play, he, however, lacked the end product that still distinguishes him from the world’s best-attacking players – as was present in Messi’s clinical performance.

Subs:

Alvaro Morata – 5

He had plenty of time but just didn’t do anything with it, letting off not one shot and generally strolling around the pitch with an apathetic attitude that didn’t match the drastic scenario Chelsea were in. Pedro touched the ball more than double the amount of times Morata did, despite the winger playing just ten minutes in comparison to Morata’s 25.

Davide Zappacosta – 5

Offered little more than Moses had, with his crossing just as similarly inaccurate as his predecessor. His shot towards the end did very little to trouble Andre Ter-Stegen in goal.