[Player Ratings] Chelsea 1-3 Atletico Madrid: See How Mourinho’s Men Rated

Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League in a 3-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid, surrendering a 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Jose Mourinho looked to be heading for his third Champions League final with as many different clubs when Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead after 36 minutes. The Spaniard chose not to celebrate his deflected strike out of respect for the team he once captained and the fans who once adored him.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly to plan for Mourinho’s men but Chelsea’s failure to reach half-time with the advantage had far-reaching consequences. Sloppy defending allowed Adrian Lopez to turn in from close range after John Terry and Ashley Cole failed to clear the ball, just one minute before half-time.

When play resumed it was all one-way traffic for the away side and their pressure told when substitute Samuel Eto’o conceded a penalty from which Diego Costa scored. Chelsea’s very own Thibaut Courtois (on loan at Atletico) pulled off a miraculous save from a John Terry header but the Blues struggled to penetrate an organised defence.

Meanwhile at the other end, Diego Simeone’s team looked capable of scoring with every attack and when Arda Turan’s header cannoned back off the cross-bar, the Turk made no mistake from the rebound, giving Chelsea an impossible task.

Player Ratings

Schwarzer- 6- had a steady game throughout and couldn’t be blamed for any of the goals. Made some good stops to prevent an embarrassing scoreline.

Cole- 5- has to take some of the responsibility for the ease at which Atletico equalised. Chelsea had ample opportunity to clear the ball but Cole let it bounce before Lopez struck.

Terry- 6- dealt well with Diego Costa in the aerial duels but the Spaniard/Brazilian had the last laugh. Went close to equalising but for a superb save from Courtois.

Cahill- 5- struggled with the devastating movement of Atletico’s fluid front three.

Ivanovic- 6- was comfortable in the main but was forced into some rash attempted clearances in the box which were so unlike the Serbian. Didn’t get forward enough and Chelsea lacked the extra dimension the full-back usually offers.

Luiz- 4- seen much better games from the Brazilian. Was put in midfield to protect his back four but his over-enthusiasm meant there was too much space for the likes of Costa, Lopez and Turan.

Ramires- 5- showed great stamina to get up and down but there was no purpose to his forward running.

Hazard- 6- back in the team after a couple of weeks out and it showed tonight. Despite offering a spark every now and then, it looked as though the Belgian was rushed back (understandably) for this important fixture.

Azpilicueta- 7- probably Chelsea’s best player and the Spaniard was forced to play out of position. Moved further forward to accommodate Cole, the full-back gave as much going forward as he did to helping his defence. Man of the Match

Willian- 6- another one of Chelsea’s better performers on the night. The Brazilian looked lively early on but seemed to flag in the second half. As Atletico took control, his passing and forward balls became more hurried and lacked the measure and conviction we’re used to seeing.

Torres- 5- showed good positional sense to score from Azpilicueta’s pull back but was absent for the rest of the game. Tried to do too much on his own.

Subs

Eto’o- 3- the night couldn’t have gone much worse for the Cameroonian. Came on for Cole at 1-1 and gave away the penalty which put Atletico in the driving seat.

Ba- 5- on for Torres with just under an hour to play but Chelsea’s play had already become disjointed and Ba couldn’t provide the team with an attacking focal point.

Schurrle- 5- replaced Willian on 76 minutes but had little effect on the game.

Where did it all go wrong for Chelsea?…They looked to be in control in the first half but gave in too easily in the second…was it players switching off?…Were Atletico just too good?…Who was your Man of the Match?…Where do Chelsea go now?…And if they don’t win the Premier League, has this season been a failure for Mourinho?…please leave your comments below…