Real Madrid have confirmed their place in the Champions League semi-finals after seeing off Chelsea 4-0 on aggregate.
Taking a 2-0 lead to Stamford Bridge from last week at the Bernabeu, the reigning European champions ran out 2-0 victors in the second leg of their quarter-final tie in west London courtesy of Rodrygo’s strike on the hour mark and a tap-in 10 minutes from time.
Here is how the players rated at Stamford Bridge:
Chelsea
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6 – Produced some good saves and tried to instigate quick transitions, but unable to prevent Rodrygo tucking twice past him.
Reece James – 7 – Chelsea’s best player in the first half, the attacking wing-back was a source of inspiration in that opening 45 minutes and was the club’s best chance of getting back into the game. His energy was relentless, jinks deceptive and link-up play threatening.
Trevoh Chalobah – 4 – Done by Rodrygo for Real’s opening goal, and Chelsea were never able to recover from that. The academy centre-back was having a solid enough game up until that point, but his overzealous lunge really cost his side.
Thiago Silva – 6.5 – Towering and confident for the most part, the veteran centre-back handled Benzema exceptionally well and led by example, even if he was unable to prevent Rodrygo running riot in the end.
Wesley Fofana – 6 – The versatile defender was having a strong game and dealt with Vinicius Junior much better than the reverse fixture.
Marc Cucurella – 5 – Wayward at times and missed a glorious chance in the first half to reduce the deficit and get Chelsea back into the contest.
N’Golo Kante – 6 – Missed two gilt-edged opportunities to drag Chelsea back into the game. The diminutive engine was playing just about everywhere in Lampard’s fluid midfield and brought a real energy to the side, but just lacked a bit of composure up top.
Enzo Fernandez – 7 – The best of Chelsea’s midfielders, Fernandez was trying to make things happen and certainly controlled much of the pace in the first half. He snapped into challenges and played a number of progressive passes rather than watching the game pass by him.
Mateo Kovacic – 6 – Tidy in possession, but not much to write home about. The Croat was upstaged in the end by his more revered compatriot.
Conor Gallagher – 5 – Ran around a lot and certainly put in the hard yards, but when it came to that killer ball or piece of final-third inspiration, he wasn’t able to deliver. Still, some nice touches and fluid passing.
Kai Havertz – 5.5 – Some very solid work up front, particularly considering he was left to fend for himself for large spells. Given Havertz had few attacking team-mates during his time on the pitch, he certainly worked well to try and create openings, though ultimately not enough.
Substitutes:
Joao Felix (for Gallagher 67′) – 6 – Produced a number of bum-off-seats touches and passes, but it was often a case of style over substance once again.
Raheem Sterling (for Fernandez 67′) – 6 – A lot of running, intent and heart, but ultimately not enough to get Chelsea back into the game.
Mykhailo Mudryk (for Cucurella 67′) – 5 – Tracked back well at times, but not enough penetration and composure in the final third.
Mason Mount (for Havertz 77′) – 6 – Struggled to really impose his attacking authority.
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois – 8 – Impenetrable, the former Chelsea ‘keeper audibly came under the cosh from the Stamford Bridge terraces, but he didn’t let the jeers affect his performance, instead relishing the animosity and snuffing out any danger Lampard’s men posed. His save on Cucurella in the first half was world class.
Dani Carvajal – 7 – Sensible and strong at the back, the experienced defender added a real grit, aggression and composure to Ancelotti’s rearguard.
Eder Militao – 9 – A defensive monster, the Brazilian centre-back put his body on the line and blocked absolutely everything Chelsea threw at him, notably closing the space on Kante when the Frenchman looked destined to score in the second half. His ball through to Rodrygo was also the catalyst in Real breaking the deadlock and grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. A supreme pass.
David Alaba – 6 – Defended valiantly in the first half to keep Chelsea at bay, while his passing range and distribution was equally as solid, before he was eventually brought off at half-time.
Eduardo Camavinga – 7 – The young Frenchman is starting to come into his own in an unnatural position at left-back. With such a traffic jam of talent in the middle of the pitch, Camavinga has been moonlighting as a full-back, and tonight he added a real tenacity and flair to Ancelotti’s flank, holding his own against the aggressively attacking James.
Toni Kroos – 7 – Calmness personified. When Chelsea threatened to ramp up the pressure and hog the ball, Kroos was there to break up the play and relax the tempo, giving Real the initiative.
Luka Modric – 7 – A few hairy moments in the first half, but to focus on those rare loose passes would be to misinterpret Modric’s game. The metronomic pass master was the tempo-setter for Real and came to the fore in the second half when his side needed him. There was a moment when it looked as though Chelsea would come out in the second half with the bit between their teeth, but Modric’s skill and enterprise thwarted any attempts for the hosts to come alive after the restart.
Luka Modrić's Champions League record at Real Madrid:
◉ 2012/13: SF
◉ 2013/14: ?
◉ 2014/15: SF
◉ 2015/16: ?
◉ 2016/17: ?
◉ 2017/18: ?
◎ 2018/19: R16
◎ 2019/20: R16
◉ 2020/21: SF
◉ 2021/22: ?
◉ 2022/23: SF…#UCL semi-finalist in 9 out of 11 seasons. ? pic.twitter.com/KEJJGv6AWL— Squawka (@Squawka) April 18, 2023
Federico Valverde – 9 – Absolutely sensational. Valverde was the midfield fulcrum and manned the engine room with distinction. His infectious energy and zeal kept Real playing at a relentless pace and ensured that when they broke, they broke with intent and aggression.
Rodrygo – 9 – Real’s source of goals but also their most lethal attacking threat away from the finishes. The fleet-footed Brazilian struck the woodwork in the first half and toyed with Cucurella at times, but his crowning moment(s) came after the restart where he instigated the deadlock-breaker almost single-handedly and then put the game beyond reach with his second.
Rodrygo's game by numbers vs. Chelsea:
90% pass accuracy
49 touches
8 touches in opp. box
4 duels won
3 crosses
3 shots
2 shots on target
2 chances created
2 goalsWhat a performance. ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/QgQUVx8cHl
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) April 18, 2023
Vinicius Junior – 6 – A quiet game for the majority, but the Brazilian started to come alive towards the latter stages of the contest and played a pivotal role to set up Rodrygo for Real’s eventual breakthrough on the hour mark.
Karim Benzema – 5 – Uncharacteristically quiet, the Real skipper often cut an isolated figure up front and missed the one big chance that presented itself to him before being taken off 20 minutes from time.
Substitutes:
Antonio Rudiger (for Alaba 45′) – 7 – Combative and physically-imposing on his return to Stamford Bridge.
Aurelien Tchouameni (for Benzema 71′) – 6 – Some very neat touches and exceptional passes during his brief showing.
Dani Ceballos (for Kroos 77′) – 6 – Similar to Tchouameni, Ceballos produced some very attractive touches and eye-pleasing passes.
Marco Asensio (for Rodrygo 82′) – N/A – Came on for the final few minutes.
Nacho (for Carvajal 82′) – N/A – Came on for the final few minutes.