LONDON, England -- Chelsea’s dramatic 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, which sealed their spot in the last four of the UEFA Champions League, had plenty of talking points.
Jose Mourinho’s epic 55-yard sprint down the touchline when the pivotal goal arrived, PSG’s capitulation, plenty of top individual performances and much more.
(MORE: Mourinho recreates corner flag run, as Chelsea boss hails his UCL heroes)
Yet there were three things that stuck out more than most. Here they are, folks.
Magic of Mourinho never fails to disappoint
Rampaging down the line following Demba Ba’s 87th minute goal, Jose Mourinho delivered yet another stunning chapter in his remarkable tale. Scoring late to knock out Paris Saint-Germain on away goals, Mourinho’s boys had done exactly what he believed they would. Just. He has now reached more UCL semifinals than any other manager (8) and has five consecutive appearances in the final four under his belt. On a night where the home crowd drowned out a vociferous away following from the French capital, Mourinho sent out a statement with his marauding run down the touchline. Afterwards he insisted it wasn’t to celebrate, but to give his team instructions to see out the final few minutes of the game plus stoppage time. Yeah, right, we believe you, Jose. Now the Mourinho-inspired storylines stack up in the potential last four pairings, as his old club Real Madrid, a potential matchup vs. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern or David Moyes’ Manchester United, and either of his former fierce enemies Barcelona or Atletico Madrid await. UCL magic is alive at the Bridge, and it is alive because Mourinho is on the prowl for his third UCL crown, all at different clubs. Here’s what he said about his celebratory saunter down the sidelines.
“I didn’t go to the corner flag to celebrate. I went to tell them the changes we had to make,” Mourinho said. “There were three minutes plus extra-time left and the way we were playing was too risky. I wanted Demba Ba to play in front of the defenders andFernando Torresto defend Maxwell. I tried to use them in different jobs.”
PSG’s promise lacks punch, Zlatan
When you appoint Laurent Blanc as your boss, you know what your getting. Pragmatic, conservative and a defense-first approach rules the roost. Many times in the Champions League this season, PSG haven’t followed that model. But when it really mattered on Tuesday against Chelsea, the offense choked. Ezequiel Lavezzi was subdued, Edinson Cavani wayward, and Lucas Moura had no cutting edge to go along with his incredible pace. PSG had scored in every single UCL game they’d played in before their trip to Chelsea. Any real reason for that? Look no further than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the man who was injured in the first leg at Parc des Princes last Wednesday and was sorely missed in PSG’s biggest game of the season. Zlatan’s x-factor couldn’t bail out PSG in their biggest match of the season, as Les Parisiens are left to drown their sorrows on the Champs-Élysées when they return home.
David Luiz is a central midfielder. Period.
Time and time again, Chelsea’s eccentric Brazilian defender snapped in the tackle and disrupted PSG’s flow as Chelsea steamrolled their French opponents on Tuesday. Earlier in the season, Luiz seemed to be purely thought of as a center back by Mourinho. Now, he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet in the center of the pitch. Hassling and harassing PSG’s midfielder, Luiz totally nullified the impact of both Blaise Matuidi and Marco Veratti. Yes, he gave away cheap free kicks. But that’s part of his game. Apart from making persistent fouls, Luiz can also spray the ball around with aplomb and use the ball efficiently and carefully. He’s good on the ball and takes risks, and his driving runs from the engine room open up space for his teammates. Luiz will likely line up as a center back for hosts Brazil at the World Cup this summer, but if Luis Felipe Scolari had any sense, try Luiz in the holding role. It’s his best position by far.