Home UEFA Champions League HAZARD NEEDS TO GO! 5 THINGS WE LEARNED- PSG V CHELSEA!

HAZARD NEEDS TO GO! 5 THINGS WE LEARNED- PSG V CHELSEA!

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Edinson Cavan jumped off the bench to seize the advantage for Paris Saint-Germain against Chelsea in the Champions League last 16 first leg.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic fired in a deflected free-kick to give the hosts the first-half lead before John Obi-Mikel smashed in from a corner to level just before the break.

But despite heroic defending from the Blues, striker Cavani finally made the territorial advantage count with a sharp finish to give Laurent Blanc’s men a slight advantage heading into the second leg in London in three weeks’ time.

Here are five things we learned in Paris:

Chelsea are still Chelsea! 

Whether it’s a lack of desire or an air of laziness, the Premier League champions of a year ago just aren’t the same animal these days.

But cometh the Champions League hour, cometh the real Chelsea.

Such was the last ditch defending on show tonight the dearly-departed Jose Mourinho would’ve been proud. Dogged, defensive and defiant to the last this was what we’ve come to expect from these boys in blue in the biggest moments.

Chelsea were not all defensive by any means, at times they looked more dangerous then their opponents, however,  the Blues failed to capitalise on 3 guilt edged chances.

These nights are what they’ve always done best and when once again faced with a slightly more talented foe they brought their A-game to the party.

And what’s more, with John Obi Mikel’s priceless away goal safely pocketed they may now believe they are actually favourites to progress.

 

Fabregas is still magic! 

Were it not for Eden Hazard’s malaise or John Terry’s waning superpowers, Cesc Fabregas ‘ fall from grace would be garnering a lot more attention.

After such a spectacular first season back in the English game last year Fabregas has been a shadow of his arch-assisting self this.

While he’s improved of late – basically, since Mourinho got the chop – the Spaniard was superb this evening, employed in a deeper role than you might ordinarily expect.

Up against one of the best midfield trios in world football, Fabregas excelled and was the catalyst for a performance that gives the Blues every chance of progressing against the odds.

 

Mikel: Heroic or Horrific?

Until the weekend just gone, John Obi Mikel was an ever-present under interim boss Guus Hiddink and deservedly so after a series of top drawer defensive midfield displays.

Mikel showed tonight, in six very silly minutes, both sides to his infuriating game.

In the 38th minute, a very poor challenge on Lucas earned him a booking. A minute later came Zlatan’s free-kick for which he provided the decisive deflection.

Mikel back to being Mikel again, you’d think.

But then minutes later he popped up at a corner just before the half to slam home the equaliser.

Football, eh?

 

Costa gives you chances galore!

It’s hard to overstate just how fast PSG rushed out of the blocks.

The hosts started firmly on the front foot and could have been three or four up before the half-hour mark.

But their profligate finishing gave Chelsea a glimmer and Diego Costa nearly made them pay big time.

Only Kevin Trapp’s sensational one-handed save kept the Blues from taking the most unlikely and undeserved of leads into the break.

That chance aside, he ploughed a lone furrow all night long and was the precious out-ball his team needed time and again.

Like him or loathe him, the Spaniard always gives you a chance

 

Hazard needs to go!  

Eden Hazard thinks it would be “difficult to say no to PSG.” But the way he played here, it would be easy for PSG to say no to Eden Hazard.

The old Chelsea spirit was on show, all right, but not from the side’s most valuable asset, who gave way to Oscar on 70 minutes after failing to match the efforts of his team-mates, who battled PSG all night in a compelling encounter.

The Chelsea players the French club’s Qatari owners might have coveted were Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic, who were superb as understudy centre-backs, and Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper who defied so many PSG attacks before Edinson Cavani struck the winner in a 2-1 victory.

Frankly, Hazard was Chelsea’s worst player – easy to dispossess and blunt going forward – and a period of self-reflection beckons.

 

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