Thomas Tuchel delivers verdict on Chelsea’s win against Atletico Madrid to seal quarter final spot in Champions League

Thomas Tuchel was delighted with Chelsea’s unbelievable performance against Atletico Madrid as they progressed into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Chelsea secured a spot in the last eight as they beat Atletico 3-0 on aggregate after goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri sealed a 2-0 win for the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night in west London.

Tuchel’s side have now kept 11 clean sheets in his 13 games in charge and don’t look beatable in their current shape.

Speaking to BT Sport post-match on the performance, Tuchel said: “Very good performance, unbelievable effort, even from the guys in the stands … could feel we totally wanted it.

“They tried to pressure us high in the first half but opened up some spaces in the back of the midfield and we could exploit it. Second half there were minutes where we suffered but we were ready to do what was necessary to win.

“We missed Andrea Christensen today, Thiago for many weeks – big personalities. I tell Kurt Zouma this morning he plays and he steps up. It’s about team work, courage and reliability of feeling safe around each other.

“Is it a penalty? (Azpilicueta foul) Azpi got a bit frightened because his ball was short, I did not see it but was a bit frightened.

“We know if we cannot find solutions with offensive play we can rely on our physical game. We were absolutely not afraid to put it on a physical level if we don’t get offensive solutions. We enjoyed the battle. The guys were totally on and sharp, we were super hungry to go through.

“Quarter-final means there’s only four games – it’s a big step and feels excellent.”

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