Chelsea 2-0 Real Madrid: Hits and flops as Blues reach final | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Goals in each half from Timo Werner and Mason Mount helped Chelsea secure a 3-1 aggregate victory over Real Madrid to progress to the final of the UEFA Champions League.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Spain last week, leaving the tie firmly in the balance.
Real Madrid welcomed back captain Sergio Ramos to the starting line-up after almost two months out, while Eden Hazard also made a start against his former side.
Chelsea made one change to the side that drew in the Spanish capital, with Kai Havertz coming in for Christian Pulisic.
The hosts started the game on the front foot and put the ball into the back of the net in the 18th minute, but Timo Werner was pulled up for a marginal offside.
Although Karim Benzema then forced Edouard Mendy into a stunning save with his snap shot from the edge of the area, it was Chelsea who drew first blood in the game.
N'Golo Kante dribbled past the Real Madrid defense before playing Kai Havertz through into the box. The Germany international produced a delicate lobbed finish that beat Courtois, but only rebounded off the bar.
His international teammate Werner was on hand to head home the rebound and put Chelsea in control of the tie.
Karim Benzema forced Mendy into another smart save from a header which ensured Chelsea went into the break with their one-goal lead intact.
The second half saw Real Madrid dominate possession, but their need for goals saw Chelsea constantly catch them out on the counter.
N'Golo Kante and Kai Havertz shot straight at Courtois when they should have done better, while Mason Mount also blazed high from a promising position.
Time and again, we have seen Real Madrid punish their opponents' profligacies with late goals, but that was not to be the case and it was Chelsea who scored the decisive second goal in the game to book their spot in the final.
The freshly-introduced Christian Pulisic showed great technique and control to hold off the Real Madrid defense before sending a cutback into the area for Mount to tap into an empty net.
Chelsea's victory guarantees an all-English final, with Manchester City set to battle the Blues for the biggest prize in club football at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
Expectedly, some players shone like a million stars in this game, while a few others failed to hit the heights expected. On that note, let's have a look at five hits and flops in the semifinal second-leg clash between Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Hit: Thomas Tuchel (Chelsea)
Thomas Tuchel is widely regarded as one of the foremost tacticians of his generation, and the 47-year-old has boosted his reputation massively with his work in the Chelsea dugout.
Back when he was appointed in January, the west London side were underperforming, with Frank Lampard having failed to get the most out of a highly talented squad.
Few, if any, would have predicted that the club would go all the way to the UEFA Champions League final, but Chelsea have been revamped under Tuchel's guidance.
His record at Stamford Bridge so far reads - 24 games, 18 clean sheets, 16 wins and just two defeats. The club have also made it to the final of the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup and are well-primed for a top four finish in the Premier League.
The former PSG manager got his tactics spot on against Real Madrid, ensuring that Los Blancos did not truly impose themselves in the game.
Flop: Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Eden Hazard has failed to hit the heights expected since joining Real Madrid from Chelsea, but it cannot be argued that the Belgium international remains a quality player.
Games of this maginitute are perfect for players of his ability to shine and the fact that it was against his former side gave the fixture an exciting sub-plot.
Despite not exactly being in the best physical state, Zinedine Zidane handed Hazard a start at Stamford Bridge and it was expected that he would fare well.
However, that was hardly the case and the 30-year-old went missing in what was his biggest game in a Real Madrid shirt to date.
It started brightly enough for Hazard but a couple of hard-hitting fouls showed that his former teammates were not ready to give him any leeway on what was once his stomping ground.
After the first 20 minutes, the Real Madrid number seven became a virtual spectator in the game and did not do anything of note until his substitution late on.