3 things Tuchel got right and 1 he got wrong as Real Madrid just see off Chelsea

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Chelsea are out of the Champions League despite a brilliant comeback that took the game to extra-time, but Karim Benzema left Thomas Tuchel's side feeling blue once again.

The Blues trailed 3-1 on aggregate from a nightmare first-leg, but overturned the two-goal deficit after Mason Mount fired them ahead inside 15 minutes, and they levelled the tie within six minutes of the restart. Antonio Rudiger headed home from a corner before Timo Werner sent Chelsea into hysteria with just 15 minutes remaining, but Rodrygo muted their celebrations with a stunning goal to send the game into extra-time.

For all of Chelsea's hard work, they undid their efforts with a lazy start to extra-time, and they allowed Vinicius Jr space to set up Benzema for the eventual winner – via yet another header. It was a bitter pill for Chelsea to swallow, but they put up some fight in the Spanish capital. Here Daily Star Sport take a look at what Tuchel got right and wrong as Chelsea went crashing out of the Champions League on Tuesday.

What Tuchel got right…

Playing James inside

One surprise inclusion when Tuchel announced his line-up was Ruben Loftus Cheek, even though Reece James was also named in the starting XI. James is often the main wing-back choice, but Tuchel instead moved him inside and kept Loftus Cheek out wide.

Tuchel did this to allow James to use his pace and keep chase with Vinicius Jr, and it looked like being a long night for the young defender as he picked up an early yellow card. But he composed himself brilliantly, and frustrated Madrid's talented Brazilian all night by matching him for speed.

By shutting down the threat of Vinicius, the passing lane to Benzema was cut-off in normal time, but the threat couldn't be stopped in extra-time as Chelsea switched off. And just how easy it was for the pair showed how well they had done to blunt them in 90 minutes.

, and it blunted the Madrid attack. By swarming the attacking pairing, it allowed Chelsea to overturn the ball often and they were able to control the game by holding the ball for large periods.

Keeping faith in Werner

It's fair to say that Timo Werner hasn't had the easiest of rides since signing for Chelsea back in 2020. But the German has proved his mental strength once again with a fine performance against Madrid, scoring what looked to be the winning goal.

The Chelsea star was deservedly included in the starting line-up after scoring a twice in the 6-0 win against Southampton on Saturday, and he assisted Mount's opener – albeit he didn't know much about it. And he looked like the most confident player on the planet as he danced around the Madrid defence to score an incredible goal late on.

His goal scoring record may be far from the numbers he recorded in Germany, but he makes things happen, and his pace is a menace for any defender. He is also starting to build a strong relationship with compatriot Kai Havertz, which can only be good news for Chelsea.

Switching the midfield duo

We all know by now that Tuchel isn't afraid to make changes, and the German dropped Jorginho after a poor first-leg performance against Madrid. Mateo Kovacic partnered Ngolo Kante just as he did at the weekend, and the duo worked well together once more.

Kante is still one of the best in the world in his position, but Kovacic works well alongside him, and the Croatian also had a point to prove upon his return to the Bernabeu. With Madrid starting the elite trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, the midfield battle was always going to be imperative to any success.

And Kovacic stepped up to the task, and flourished in the middle of the park, on a surface where he was once underappreciated. And he will be even more out of favour amongst the Madrid faithful, after helping his new side cause the Spanish side multiple issues.

What Tuchel got wrong…

Letting their concentration slip

Chelsea were fantastic all night, and they coped with the threat of Vinicius Jr and Benzema for the entirety of regulation time. But just when it mattered most, they switched off and allowed them to combine.

Although they played their best football for 90 minutes, Chelsea made a sloppy start to extra-time, and Vinicius was allowed space in behind for the first time, and it cost them. The Brazilian crossed the ball to an unmarked Benzema, who scored his third header across the two legs.

Chelsea undid all of their hard work in 90 minutes, and it was Madrid left celebrating even though they lost on the night. But they won't care about that, and the persistence of Vinicius and Benzema paid off.

• Chelsea FC
• Thomas Tuchel
• Champions League
• Real Madrid FC

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