Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea: 5 things we learned as Michy Batshuayi grabs dramatic late winner for Blues
Atletico Madrid 1 Chelsea 2: An old face reappears, Morata shows his class and David Luiz is back to his worst - and best
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea grabbed a dramatic winner in a pulsating game in the Spanish capital thanks to Michy Batshuayi, who scored with the last kick of the game.
Three sights at goal early on for Alvaro Morata and a shot which struck the post from Eden Hazard meant Chelsea were very much in the ascendancy from the opening stages – and that pattern continued for large parts of the game.
Sensing that their side needed a boost, the Atletico fans – witnessing the first Champions League fixture in their brand new Wanda Metropolitano stadium – ramped up the noise, and they were soon rewarded.
David Luiz’s moment of madness just before half time – grabbing at Lucas’ shirt right in front of the referee – gifted them a penalty. Antoine Griezmann did the honours from the spot.
The hosts went into half-time one goal up, a scoreline with which Antonio Conte could rightly feel aggrieved – but he did not have to wait long for a fight back.
Hazard and Morata linked up again, with the Belgian’s perfect cross setting up his forward partner for the equaliser.
It wasn't until the very final kick of the game that the Blues went ahead - but it's hard to argue that they didn't deserve it.
Here are five things we learned…
Chelsea do something so many others have failed to
While Chelsea romped to the Premier League title last year many felt they would struggle this term with European football thrown back into the equation.
While it is still too early to tell how their form and fitness will be affected as the season rolls on, there is no doubting that Chelsea can mix it with the best teams on the continent.
Atleti have reached two of the last four finals of this competition and reached last year’s semis - but Chelsea dominated for the opening 40 minutes.
It was only until David Luiz’s sloppy foul before half-time – gifting them a penalty – that they got any real sniff at goal.
But Atletico still had to be in the game to capitalise and go ahead – and that is what they often do so well; hanging in, playing ugly and grinding out results.
Chelsea were the better team on the night, but how many times have we said that about Atleti’s opponents in the last few years without them actually grabbing a win?
Crucially the Blues managed to pull that off.
Morata is the future...
Diego Costa was all hugs with the Chelsea players and staff in the tunnel before the game, putting to rest the idea that it was a bitter falling out and giving all parties some sense of closure.
The man replacing him is Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard is not as combative as his compatriot, but he undoubtedly possesses quality of the very highest order.
And he showed that on the hour mark, ghosting in to the six yard box and nodding in Hazard’s pinpoint cross to score his seventh goal of the season – and, crucially, Chelsea’s equaliser.
While Costa spent three successful years in west London, he can now be considered well and truly a thing of the past. Conte's wild celebrations with Morata on the sideline after that goal clearly show he knows where the future lies.
..as is the Wanda
After 50 years at the Vicente Calderón, Atletico have made the trip 20km across town – to the outskirts of the Spanish capital and on the edge of a motorway – to a new home: the Wanda Metropolitano.
The state-of-art stadium does not have the same old-time charm of the Calderón but it is an impressive and, possibly more importantly, distinctive structure both inside and out.
The noise generated by the fans also felt a long way from the hollow atmospheres in other new stadia.
With acoustics clearly nothing to worry about, Atleti will now just be hoping their performances in the new ground can match those in their storied old one.
David Luiz shows us his worst - and his best
David Luiz was a figure of ridicule when he initially left Chelsea in 2014, with Gary Neville’s “PlayStation” comments looming large over his reputation.
But he seemed to put all that behind him upon his return to Stamford Bridge last summer, being one of Chelsea’s key players as they went on to win the Premier League.
A few of his bad traits seemed to have cropped up again this season – his reckless red card tackle on Sead Kolasinac last week after being riled up by Alexis Sanchez and then a needless penalty here tonight.
As an Atleti corner came in from the left-hand side, Luiz needlessly grabbed a hold of Lucas’ shirt and the referee, standing 15 yards away and with a clear view, had no option but to award a penalty and a yellow card.
He may well have had some apologising to do to his teammates at half-time - but they probably forgave him pretty quickly after his sumptuous cross-field pass set up Hazard which then led to Chelsea's equaliser.
Eden Hazard has been a miss
Making his first meaningful start of the season following injury (because we’re not counting the EFL Cup), Hazard excelled as Alvaro Morata’s partner up top.
Dropping to pick the ball up from the midfield in Chelsea’s 3-5-2 formation, the Belgian looked back to his best as he turned towards goal and drove at the Atleti defence.
He struck the post from 25 yards early on and delivered Chelsea’s best moment of the match as he collected Luiz’s cross-field pass to the wing, shimmied onto his right foot and delivered a perfect cross for Morata to head home.
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