UCL: Chelsea exit Champions League with a whimper
Chelsea 0 - 2 Real Madrid (0-4 on aggregate)
Chelsea went out of the Champions League with a whimper.
The current European champions dispatched them easily with another 2-0 victory in their quarter-final clash as Lampard failed to mastermind an almighty comeback. The home side had plenty of chances, with Marc Cucurella superbly denied by Thibaut Courtois in the closing stages of a positive first half as far as the hopeful hosts were concerned.
However, it felt like only a matter of time before Carlo Ancelotti's side punished the Blues and in the 57th minute they did, as Rodrygo finished off a ruthless attack. He then bagged another in the dying embers, ending the contest, making it Chelsea's worst run of form in 30 years.
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The occasional positive sign, but the main problems stay the same for Chelsea.
The home side gave a decent performance here and it was probably the best of Frank Lampard's short reign. However, there was a painful lack of end product. This meant there was an air of inevitability that they would eventually be punished by the street wisdom and quality in this Real Madrid side.
Chelsea are currently languishing in 11th place in the Premier League. They will not be in the Champions League next season, a big pull for potential purchases, while Boehly and the Clearlake group must find a manager to mend the fractures in the club after the sackings of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter this season.
Let's explore the best reaction
Thiago Silva has urged Chelsea's owners to put a new transfer strategy in place 👀 pic.twitter.com/nMtnBUNTwP
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) April 19, 2023
"Difficult to put into words how it feels after last night."
Those were the words of Kai Havertz. He also said on Twitter: "Difficult to put into words how it feels after last night. We’ll learn from these hard moments. It's been a difficult season, but we'll come back from this. Thank you for the support last night!"
One fan replied: "You are a talented player, continue, hero, in continuous work. This fan appreciates you a lot."
It's time to utilise the academy players.
Lewis. a Chelsea Season Ticket Holder, told us: "Ah well. We might as well play some of the academy lads in the remaining games. I believe they’ll show some more fight."
Does Lewis have a point, could have a player like Harvey Vale have an impact at Stamford Bridge?
This was a view supported by Lauren. She added: "I think we should start to use some more of the academy players. We do have some quality and experience in the squad. Some youthful energy could give the team a huge lift."
