Chelsea secured a shock draw at Stamford Bridge last night against Champions League favourites Barcelona.
After taking the lead mid-way through the second half through Man of the Match Willian, Lionel Messi then broke his Chelsea duck shortly after to secure a draw for the La Liga leaders – leaving all to play for at the Camp Nou in the second leg.
But who starred? And who struggled to make an impact?
Chelsea (3-4-3)
Thibaut Courtois 6
Faced only two shots on target all game, one of them being Lionel Messi’s equaliser on 75 minutes, of which the Belgian could do nothing about.
César Azpilicueta 8
Excellent for 90 minutes and kept a close tab on Luis Suarez, who struggled to cope with the pressure of the Spaniard when he had the ball. Lunged in after being undersold a pass from Andreas Christensen that lead to Barca’s equaliser.
Andreas Christensen 6
Defended whole-heartedly, but ultimately proved to be Chelsea’s downfall with his mis-placed pass leading to Lionel Messi’s goal.
Antonio Rüdiger 8
Not always pretty, but effective. Plenty of no-nonsense defending and made a couple of galavanting run’s forward too to help hit Barca on the counter.
Victor Moses 7
Made a couple of vital challenges to prevent balls into the box during a busy night against Jordi Alba. Lacked a final product in the last third of the pitch.
N’golo Kanté 8
Excellent as usual, Kante’s energy and positioning in the middle of the park made life difficult for Barcelona’s technically gifted ball players.
Cesc Fàbregas 6
A subdued performance from the former Barcelona star, who spent most of the night on defensive duty. Marked Barcelona’s midfield well and distributed neatly.
Marcos Alonso 7
Gave the Barcelona’s makeshift right-back Sergi Roberto little joy. Wasted a chance to open the scoring from a free-kick in a good position.
Willian 10 – Man of the Match
Faultless performance from the Brazilian, who rattled either post in the first-half before opening the scoring in the second half with a brilliant curled finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Eden Hazard 8
Fed mostly off scraps, but looked dangerous with the ball at his feet. Often marked by two or three Barca defenders, opening space on the counter for his team-mates.
Pedro 5
Failed to replicate the attacking threat of his counterparts Willian and Eden Hazard.
Substitutes
Álvaro Morata (for Pedro, 83min)
Danny Drinkwater (for Fàbregas, 84)
Substitutes not used Willy Caballero, Gary Cahill, Davide Zappacosta, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Olivier Giroud
Booked Rüdiger, Morata
Barcelona (4-4-2)
Marc-André ter Stegen 5
Saved by the post on two occasions before being caught flat-footed by Chelsea’s opening goal.
Sergi Roberto 4
Marked out of the game by Marcos Alonso, failing to provide much of a threat down the right-flank.
Gerard Piqué 7
Captain the Catalans well. Headed wide from a corner early on.
Samuel Umtiti 6
Excellent in possession, but made a few sloppy challenges to gift Chelsea dead-ball opportunities.
Jordi Alba 5
Showed some attacking threat down the left-flank, but ultimately poor at the other end of the field – being given the run-around by Willian for 90 minutes.
Sergio Busquets 6
Held onto the ball well and broke down a number of Chelsea counter-attacks with smart challenges.
Andrés Iniesta 6
Produced the assist for Messi’s equaliser, but other put in a bland performance, failing to find any sort of pass to penetrate Chelsea’s excellent defence.
Ivan Rakitic 6
Rarely hindered on the ball, but like midfield partner Iniesta, was unable to find spaces to open the Blues back-line.
Paulinho 5
Fluffed his lines from 12-yards before being subbed just after the hour mark.
Lionel Messi 8
Chased by Chelsea’s men like rabid dogs all night, the Argentine still looked a cut above, showing some dazzling control and skill. Scored his first goal against the Blues in nine attempts.
Luis Suárez 6
Ran with the ball with tenacity, but was unable to get in-behind and find any clear opportunities at goal as he would have liked.
Total 66
Substitutes
Aleix Vidal (for Paulinho, 63) 6
André Gomes (for Iniesta, 90+2)
Substitutes not used Jasper Cillessen, Thomas Vermaelen, Lucas Digne, Denis Suárez, Ousmane Dembélé
Booked Rakitic, Busquets, Suárez