Chelsea’s Champions League hopes were left hanging by a thread after Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio helped Real Madrid to a 2-0 win over the Blues at the Santiago Bernabéu. Benzema opened the scoring after Kepa parried the ball right into his path. Chelsea were reduced to ten men in the second half after last man Ben Chilwell pulled down Rodrygo. Madrid capitalised on their man advantage when Asensio struck a long-range strike into the bottom corner, leaving Chelsea on the brink of elimination.

Kepa Arrizabalaga- 2/10

A disastrous day for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who will feel he should have done better for both of Madrid’s goals. The Spaniard over-committed himself for the first goal, meaning he could only parry Vinícius Júnior’s touch into the path of Benzema. For Madrid’s second, Kepa was beaten far too easily by a long-range strike which despite getting a hand to it, he could not prevent going into the net. Also, some very poor distribution at times, clearing the ball straight to Madrid players.

Reece James- 5/10

James and Fofana really struggled to deal with Vinícius today, with the Brazilian looking like he had the pair on strings at times. Whilst Madrid’s winger is undoubtedly a brilliant attacker, James will have to do much better dealing with him in the return fixture. James did play a fantastic cross to Sterling, whose shot was denied by a fantastic Thibaut Courtois save.

Wesley Fofana– 5/10

A game of two halves for Wesley Fofana, who looked like he might not have made it to half-time without getting sent off after being booked early on for a foul on Vinicius. The Frenchman really looked like he could not cope with the Brazilian, and allowed him too much space in the box in the build-up to Madrid’s first goal. He did improve a lot in the second half, however, and managed to restrict Vinicius much more efficiently.

Thiago Silva- 7/10

A huge clearance off the line is perhaps one of the only reasons Chelsea are not out of this tie. Coming back from injury after a long period out, Silva instantly reminded everyone that he is far and above Chelsea’s best defender. Hopefully, he will be able to complete the full 90 minutes in the return fixture against Madrid. 

Kalidou Koulibaly– 6/10

A solid display at centre-back for Koulibaly before he was forced off with an injury. The Senegalese defender worked well with Chilwell to limit Madrid’s chances on the left-hand side of defence. Seemed to pick up an injury after doing incredibly well to track back and prevent Rodrygo from doubling Madrid’s lead.

Ben Chilwell- 5/10

A good first half’s defensive work was undone by a really poor decision to pull back Rodrygo which saw Chilwell see red 15 minutes into the second half. The straight red card means Chilwell will miss the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

N’Golo Kante- 6/10

A solid performance from Kante, but the Frenchman still does not look fully back to his best. Some good early work in midfield but drifted out of the game as time went on. Still, it is clear how important Kante can be for the Blues, and maintaining his fitness is crucial for the return tie.

Enzo Fernández- 6/10

Despite some sloppy moments from the Argentine, including a terrible giveaway to Federico Valverde, Fernández was one of Chelsea’s better players on the night. The midfielder completed 13 long balls and attempted 93 passes overall in what was a midfield packed with talent on both sides.

Mateo Kovačić- 4/10

Kovačić’s drop off in form over recent weeks has been concerning. The Croatian was guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on a number of occasions today and looked almost like a liability in midfield. There is no questioning the talent he has, but he needs to rediscover his form, and quickly.

João Félix- 4/10

Félix’s lack of end product is becoming a real concern as of late. Whilst the Portuguese attacker often looks good on the ball, when it comes to the final third his game seems to often fall apart. He squandered a big chance early in the game when he was free in the Madrid half only to be caught by defenders, and then fire a tame shot straight at Courtois. He looked lost upfront today.

Raheem Sterling- 5/10

Sterling did well in the opening few minutes, beating Eduardo Camavinga and forcing the Frenchman to take a yellow card to bring him down. From there, however, he disappeared from the game almost entirely. His only chance was expertly saved by Courtois at the near post.

Subs

Marc Cucurella- 4/10

Whilst Chilwell’s decision to bring down Rodrygo was a rash one, he certainly won’t be thanking Cucurella. The Spaniard pushed out of his position, allowing Rodrygo a straight run in behind him. It was terrible defending on both accounts and ultimately cost Chelsea the game – and perhaps the tie.

Trevoh Chalobah- 6/10

Will probably feel he should have come on instead of Cucurella when Koulibaly went down injured. Chalobah, who has struggled for appearances in a Chelsea shirt recently, performed well whilst for the brief period he was on the pitch.

Kai Havertz- 6/10

A fairly invisible performance from Havertz, but it is difficult to blame him as when he came on the pitch Chelsea were just trying to cling on to whatever result they could take back to the Bridge.

Mason Mount- 6/10

A lively cameo from Mount, who surely must start the second leg. He did have one massive chance to pull a goal back for Chelsea, but his shot – which looked to be headed in – was blocked brilliantly by former blue Antonio Rüdiger.

Connor Gallagher- 6/10

A short stint on the pitch for Gallagher, who didn’t really have a lot to do. He did play his part in ensuring Chelsea clang on in the tie by not conceding another goal.

Frank Lampard- 5/10

Not the worst result imaginable for Lampard, given Chelsea played almost 40 minutes with ten men in one of the most difficult European stadiums to visit. Lampard, however, now faces a massive challenge in finding a way to make Chelsea score at least twice in the return fixture. It is going to take something truly special for Chelsea, who haven’t scored in almost a month, to overturn this deficit. Tactics can be questioned with Chelsea looking clueless as to what to do in possession. Limiting Madrid to two goals, however, means Chelsea and Lampard can still retain a sliver of hope.