Closed Benfica 0-1 Chelsea

[capriccioso 2,545]

I disagree, Sturridge offers more going up with his technique and pace. Kalou's more of a goal poacher.

Look at the dirty work Kalou did tonight, I saw him in our box probably a dozen times and that's not including set pieces. He gets back and defends, which is vital for us as our fullbacks aren't that great anymore. Sturridge is not cut out to be a winger, he will be an excellent striker but he should not be anywhere near the wing. He's only there this season as a stop gap, because we haven't got anyone else who can play on the wing.

Di Matteo's team selection was absolutely brilliant tonight, I'll admit I when I saw Meireles and Ferreira starting tonight I feared the worst but they both came through and played really well, full credit to di Matteo for having faith in his players.

[Rambo 1,729]

That benfica eagle is so badass..imagine if we had a lion at stamford bridge LOL

[Henrique 9,133]

crawl back into your rat hole ....you were gutted when we scored

you are a weird guy.

[termninja 5,290]

If someone said to me 2 months ago that we will be playing in Champions League quarter final and that Torres would assist to Kalou to grab us a victory I probably wouldn't be posting here, instead I would be probably lying 6 feet under due to choking myself out of laughter

Well done lads. Nothing spectacular tonight, but we had our moments, played defensively well, had some luck and deserved a victory. Benfica played nicely also and they still have a chance at SB, though an away goal and victory lift our chances immensely.

Luiz and Rami were awesome. David is turning into a world class defender and mistakes he used to make earlier are now pretty rare. He is also a great lad and I'm very happy we have him but Ramires also. Great players.

Whole of the team did well though, nothing spectacular as I said, but they worked hard, stayed disciplined which ultimately payed of.

MOTM: David Luiz

Bring on Aston Villa :cfc:

[Rambo 1,729]

Look at the dirty work Kalou did tonight, I saw him in our box probably a dozen times and that's not including set pieces. He gets back and defends, which is vital for us as our fullbacks aren't that great anymore. Sturridge is not cut out to be a winger, he will be an excellent striker but he should not be anywhere near the wing. He's only there this season as a stop gap, because we haven't got anyone else who can play on the wing.

Di Matteo's team selection was absolutely brilliant tonight, I'll admit I when I saw Meireles and Ferreira starting tonight I feared the worst but they both came through and played really well, full credit to di Matteo for having faith in his players.

Indeed, I'm not taking anything from Kalou because he was fantastic tonight and held the ball well up front. All i'm saying is if there was one last spot on the team I had to fill, I'd choose Sturridge over Kalou.

[Jase 43,479]

Great result and an excellent away performance in Europe.

Apologize for somewhat criticizing the team selection earlier. Kudos to RDM for making the right choice.

[Santiago. 1,500]

Still baffled by some of you

Other than the goal please tell me how Kalou gave a great performance?

[zolayes 14,489]

you are a weird guy.

no you are a tosser

[Rambo 1,729]

Still baffled by some of you

Other than the goal please tell me how Kalou gave a great performance?

In the first half he was one of the few Chelsea players who was decent going forward. Mata was pretty much non existent, which was probably due to fatigue.

[Henrique 9,133]

no you are a tosser

you should stop your insults and discuss about football.

[Justin_3d 1,140]

If someone said to me 2 months ago that we will be playing in Champions League quarter final and that Torres would assist to Kalou to grab us a victory I probably wouldn't be posting here, instead I would be probably lying 6 feet under due to choking myself out of laughter

Well done lads. Nothing spectacular tonight, but we had our moments, played defensively well, had some luck and deserved a victory. Benfica played nicely also and they still have a chance at SB, though an away goal and victory lift our chances immensely.

Luiz and Rami were awesome. David is turning into a world class defender and mistakes he used to make earlier are now pretty rare. He is also a great lad and I'm very happy we have him but Ramires also. Great players.

Whole of the team did well though, nothing spectacular as I said, but they worked hard, stayed disciplined which ultimately payed of.

MOTM: David Luiz

Bring on Aston Villa :cfc:

A. Villa ain't a tough opponent, so Mata needs a rest!

I would also like to see Cole get a rest and give a run to Ryan!

And if we can get some time to Lukaku and Romeu it will cap an awesome week! :blue scalf:

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Still baffled by some of you

Other than the goal please tell me how Kalou gave a great performance?

In terms of effort and work rate, I really don't see how you can fault the guy. Not to mention his great work ethics in tracking back every single time, very few in his position do that anymore.

[Kostas 1,468]

Still baffled by some of you

Other than the goal please tell me how Kalou gave a great performance?

Nevermind Kalou, apparently getting the result needed also turns embarrassing games into displays of tactical intelligence and defensive solidity.

This game is easily one of the 5 worst I've seen this season and despite the inspiring performance by David Luiz we could have easily been 2 down in the second half.

[zolayes 14,489]

In terms of effort and work rate, I really don't see how you can fault the guy. Not to mention his great work ethics in tracking back every single time, very few in his position do that anymore.

souness praised the tracking back Of kalou ,,,but of course he knows nothing compared to the experts on here

[The Big Drog 1,110]

Fantastic result against a good Benfica side. While they didn't have the ame class and guile as Napoli, they did pose a physical threat and looked more organised at the back and in midfield than the Italian club. In a season where they qualified top of their group, a group that also included Man Utd, it is an indication of just how good this result is. No the game is not over yet, there is another 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge and Benfica will have to come at it from an attacking perspective, thus opening the game up more and that could lead to anything but we will certainly be the big favourites to qualify now.

From the point of view of an away performance in the Champions League, you couldn't fault a single Chelsea player. They kept their shape throughout, they were well organised, they were resilient, they were very tough to break down and they posed a genuine threat on the break. On the ball some did struggle, Meireles was pretty average in possession, Mata failed to exert his usual level of control, Mikel was occasionally ponderous but all of that pales in comparison to how well each player did their primary task, stopping Benfica from playing.

In terms of standout performances, Ashley Cole was excellent at left back, didn't get forward very often but made some excellent blocks and didn't get beaten easily. John Terry led the defensive line brilliantly and also got a key toe to a ball that was destined to put Cardozo in on goal. Mikel shielded the back four well. Ramires ran his socks off, he lacks quality on the ball but he is a powerful runner and played a big part in the goal. Fernando Torres led the line very well, always an option, showed some nice touches and did wonderfully well to provide the assist for the goal, the more I've seen him play lately, the more I am convinced of his ability to be Chelsea's main man next season.

However my pick for MOTM is David Luiz. An awesome, all action performance. His style of play occasionally leads to a mistake but he is becoming far more consistent and he is capable or producing performances that very few other centre backs in world football could produce. At times his defensive covering was nothing short of Carvalho-esque, at other times his interceptions and quick tackling were very reminiscent of a younger Lucio. Another to add to his list of top class recent performances, he has proven that he could become a top quality centre back.

Just a final sidenote. I think it's pretty interesting how a year ago, the purchases of Torres and Luiz were thought to be a colossal waste of money. Now a year on, Torres ir providing a vital assist in a Champions League quarter final and David Luiz is putting in a world class performance at the heart of the defence, perhaps that 75 million wasn't a total waste afterall.

[capriccioso 2,545]

In terms of effort and work rate, I really don't see how you can fault the guy. Not to mention his great work ethics in tracking back every single time, very few in his position do that anymore.

This is precisely why. When he's in the side its like playing with a full back high up the pitch. A full back with poor ball control, mind.

[Bir_CFC 3,455]

I know there have been many negatives this season, but even when there is a positive staring you right in your face some still keep bringing up the negatives. Knock one off before you watch Chelsea if you're really so bitter all the time.

[ulsterchelsea 3,221]

Anyone else think that Davy Lou doesn't seem as happy go lucky recently ?

[Santiago. 1,500]

Malouda could have done the same amount of tracking back but add more pace as well as midfield flow

[Jase 43,479]

I'm sure even a certain Rafa Benitez would have been proud of the way we won.