Chelsea were forced to a 1-1 draw by La Liga side FC Barcelona in their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday evening, with manager Antonio Conte seeing top displays across the field.
Impressive display
Willian’s second-half goal had handed the Blues the lead but they were pegged back by a Lionel Messi leveller which could be costly considering Barcelona now have an away goal.
Further, Chelsea were able to reduce FC Barcelona’s threat for a larger part of the match, and so it will be a disappointment for Conte’s men that they could not hold on to the advantage into next month’s return leg in Spain.
two stars praised
Notwithstanding, there were also reasons to be delighted, as midfielder N’Golo Kante and Brazilian Willian were particularly praised for their displays at the Bridge.
Hile the winger was unfortunate not to grab more goals having hit the woodwork twice in the first half of the encounter, France international Kante was in his usual energetic and tenacious figure as he played an important role in the midfield to restrict the La Liga leaders and not give them enough space in between the lines.
It will be a totally different test for Chelsea in the return leg, but having frustrated the Spanish side for large periods of the encounter and created a lot of chances, this encounter is still arguably finely poised.
