It’s advantage Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid after clinching a 1-1 draw in Spain on Tuesday night.
Christian Pulisic put Chelsea ahead, snatching a vital away goal with a cool finish before Karim Benzema equalised with a powerful volley.
Sportsmail’s Sami Mokbel rates how the players on both sides fared on a rainy evening in Spain.
Christian Pulisic’s away goal for Chelsea could prove vital in their tie with Real Madrid
REAL MADRID
Thibault Courtois – Brilliant early stop to deny Werner’s point-blank effort only to be beaten by Pulisic moments later. 7
Eder Militao – Looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights as Chelsea came out with all guns blazing – but played a role in his side’s leveller. 6.5
Raphael Varane – One of the world’s best central defenders but he looked anything but as Chelsea ran Madrid’s rearguard ragged. 6
Nacho – Took a while to adapt to the change of system and looked startled by Chelsea’s pace but eventually settled into the game. 6
Dani Carvajal – Overworked defensively down Real’s right hand side as Chelsea smelt blood early on. 6
Luka Modric – Chelsea didn’t give the brilliant Croatian a second to breath in the engine room. Just as well. 6.5
Luka Modric wasn’t given a moment to get a grasp of the game due to Chelsea’s midfield
It was a bad night for Marcelo, who was Madrid’s least inspiring performer against Chelsea
Casemiro – Immense at Anfield in the quarter-final but took a little while to settle down here as Chelsea asserted themselves. 6
Toni Kroos – Unsurprisingly saw more of the ball than any Real player, but Chelsea didn’t give him time to have his usual impact. Booked. 6.5
Marcelo – Went missing defensively at the start but eventually regained his composure. Not at his excellent best. 5.5
Karim Benzema – Brilliantly equalised for his side against the run of play. A constant threat for the Spaniards. 7
Vinicius Junior – Tried his best to stretch Chelsea, but the Blues defence kept him under control for the most part. Booked. 6
Karim Benzema took his goal superbly to equalise for Real Madrid in the second half
Subs: Hazard 6 (Vinicius 66); Odriozola, booked (Carvajal 77); Asensio (Marcelo 77); Rodrygo (Benzema 90)
Subs not used: Lunin, Isco, Mariano, Altube, Arribas, Blanco, Gutiérrez.
Zinedine Zidane – Will be happy with how his team responded to Chelsea’s blistering start. His decision to change the system didn’t work. 6
Chelsea
Edouard Mendy – Had very little to do apart from pick the ball out of the net as Chelsea threw caution to the wind. 6.5
Andreas Christensen – Lost Benzema for a split second just before the Frenchman’s superb leveller but an otherwise strong night. 6.5
Thiago Silva – Will be disappointed by Benzema’s goal but eased through this match. A calming influence in the heart of Chelsea’s defence. 6.5
Antonio Rudiger – Continued his excellent form since the turn of the year. Set-up Pulisic’s excellent opener. 7
Cesar Azpilicueta – Lost a crucial header to Militao in the lead up to Real’s leveller but was largely dependable in the teeming rain. 6.5
N’Golo Kante – So much energy and quality in central midfield. Superb at both ends of the pitch. 7
Jorginho – Massively influential and looked at home in a congested and illustrious midfield area. Everything went through the Italian. 8
Jorginho was outstanding for Chelsea with all of their play going through the Italian
It was another tireless display from N’Golo Kante as he impressed against Real Madrid
Ben Chilwell – Provided a beneficial outlet for the Blues. Saw plenty of the ball and used it well for his team. 7
Christian Pulisic – Took his early goal brilliantly and caused Real’s defence all worlds of problems with his movement. Booked. 7.5
Timo Werner – Missed a guild-edged opportunity to open the scoring. It didn’t get much better for German. 5.5
Mason Mount – Buzzed around the pitch causing problems wherever he ventured. Truly belongs at this level. 7
Christian Pulisic took his goal excellently as Chelsea got a vital away strike in Spain
Subs: James 6 (Azpilicueta 66); Ziyech 6 (Pulisic 66); Havertz 6 (Werner 66)
Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Alonso, Abraham, Caballero, Zouma, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Gilmour, Emerson.
Thomas Tuchel: Should be delighted with his side’s display – but will leave Spain feeling his side should have left with more. 7
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED) – Showed no signs of pro-Chelsea bias despite Real Madrid’s pre-match concerns. 6