Chelsea plant one foot in Champions League semi-final

English Premier League side, Chelsea, has taken a major step towards reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-final with a commanding 2-0 victory over Porto.

The Blues bounced back from a testing few days to claim the impressive victory.

Mason Mount’s clever turn and finish in the first half helped bring some welcome relief to Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel. The win comes after his side’s heavy defeat to West Brom on Saturday; which was followed by a training ground incident between team-mates Kepa Arrizabalaga and Antonio Rudiger.

But Ben Chilwell added a late second after a mistake by Corona; moments after substitute Christian Pulisic had hit the bar.

Having conceded five goals against West Brom, Chelsea produced a dogged defensive performance against Porto. The display earned them a seventh clean sheet in nine European games this season.

Meanwhile, skipper Cesar Azpilicueta’s vital block denied Corona before Edouard Mendy kept out Pepe’s header.

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With both legs of this tie in Spain at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium because of coronavirus travel restrictions between Portugal and the UK; this was Porto’s ‘home’ game. It means Chelsea’s two away goals put them in pole position before next Tuesday’s second leg.

This was the perfect response by Chelsea after last weekend’s embarrassment. They turned in a resilient, determined and professional performance against a team that had eliminated Juventus in the previous round.

Tuchel reacted to the West Brom shambles by making five changes; with Rudiger among those recalled despite his ‘heated’ row with Arrizabalaga.

Rudiger played his part in an impressive Chelsea rearguard display; with Porto carving out several chances without managing to find a way through.

The Blues would be hopeful of finishing off the tie next week.