Chelsea exit Champions League against PSG

PSG players celebrated their win at Chelsea in the Champions League after progressing to the quarter-finals on away goals

Premier League leaders Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League last-16 by PSG following a 2-2 draw after normal and extra-time.

The big spending French outfit went through on away goals, despite star Zlatan Ibrahimovic being dismissed after 31 minutes of the game.

Controversy

The sending-off of Ibrahimovic for a challenge on Oscar was controversial to say the least.

The fact that the Chelsea players swarmed around the referee in a bid to get the Swede sent-off was almost embarrassing.

Chelsea are not the first team to do that and will not be the last, but it is an unwelcome tactic that has crept into the game in recent years.

Deserved

The big spending French outfit deserved to make it through to the last eight over the two legs. For all their quality, Chelsea never really showed it over the two legs and will be kicking themselves that they did not produce the quality that they are capable of.

PSG are a very dangerous team and Chelsea may just have underestimated the Ligue One side. Laurent Blanc’s team have spent a lot of money assembling their team and have a squad capable of taking on most teams in the competition.

As it was even with ten men they proved too strong for Chelsea and it must be frustrating for Blues fans to know that their team has so many good players, but they just could not get the better of a stubborn PSG team.

Ironic

I am sure the irony is not lost on Chelsea fans that Brazilian centre-back David Luiz came back to haunt his old club with the late equaliser.

I have to admit I was one of those who thought the Blues did well to get the reported £50million fee they did for the Brazilian international from PSG.

I cannot say I am not a fan of Luiz, because I really do believe he is a fantastic footballer. Unfortunately he can be a liability at centre-back because of his swashbuckling runs forward.

Luiz being out position often leaves his team very vulnerable to other teams hitting them on the counter-attack. However, on his day he can also be a wonderful player and that is why PSG shelled out so much for him.

Goals

For two teams that have spent so much money it seemed strange that three out of the four goals scored came from centre-backs, with Luiz, Gary Cahill and Thiago Silva all getting on the scoresheet. Belgian winger Eden Hazard scored the other goal from the penalty spot.

All that money spent on attacking players and all four goals come from set-pieces. I bet that is not exactly what the two respective owners expected when they invested such money in their clubs in recent years.

The PSG owners will no doubt be the happier, as their team are now in the last eight of the competition. The big money spent on Thiago Silva and David Luiz could just be paying off.

Europe

This tie just reinforced the idea that the Premier League is not the best league in the world. It looks like Everton could be the only English team left in European competition, with Arsenal and Manchester City on the brink of Champions League exits.

Liverpool and Tottenham have already exited the Europa League, so Everton who face Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Europa League this evening could be England’s sole represent in European competition.

English teams in Europe have been poor in recent years and the fact that the Premier League leaders were beaten by PSG when they played the game for over an hour with ten men says a lot about the current standard of the Premier League.

Silverware

PSG are a dangerous team and could give their opponents in the quarter-finals major trouble. However their progression in the competition may just depend on whether they can get Ibrahimovic’s red card overturned.

They may be a decent team, but the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are likely to give them a far sterner test than Chelsea did.

For Chelsea, the season now comes down to winning the Premier League title. Blues boss Jose Mourinho will be under increasing pressure to seal the title now that they are out of the Champions League.

The Portuguese boss claims he will not shed any tears over the exit, but he knows that failure to win the Premier League title is now not an option.

Did PSG deserve their victory over two legs?