MOUNT’S
Chilwell seals it after Mason’s beauty
MASON MOUNT broke his Champions League duck to sink Porto as life returned to normal for Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel saw his halo slip last weekend after suffering his first defeat as boss, following the Blues’ humiliating home thrashing from West Brom.
But Mount made sure it was nothing more than a blip with a stunning first-half goal to put his side in control of this quarter-final showdown.
And Ben Chilwell sealed it with a great solo effort late on, just seconds after Christian Pulisic had struck the woodwork.
Mount, 22, struck in the 32nd minute with his first goal in the competition, to become the club’s youngestever scorer in a Champions League knockout game.
It was also a crucial away strike for Tuchel’s men in Seville, ahead of the return leg on the same ground next week.
And to think England ace Mount was left out of Tuchel’s first starting XI when he replaced Frank Lampard at the end of January.
Tuchel became just the second Blues boss to win his first three games in the knockout stages after Roberto Di Matteo, as he looks to lead his side into the semi-finals.
Reports claimed some of Tuchel’s stars had cheered when the draw pitted them against Porto.
But the Portuguese outfit knocked out Juventus in the previous round and they were just one of two teams to have scored against Manchester
City in the competition this season. Underestimating them would have been a huge mistake by the Blues, who did the same to West Brom and found themselves on the wrong end of a spanking.
Tuchel recalled Antonio Rudiger, Mount, Andreas Christensen, Chilwell and Kai Havertz, while Thiago Silva, who was sent off against the Baggies, was on the bench alongside N’golo Kante.
The Blues threatened first when Havertz got in behind the Porto defence and flashed a ball across the face of goal, but no one was on hand to provide the finish.
People expected Porto to sit back in numbers and make themselves hard to break down, before looking to hit the Blues on the break. But Sergio Conceicao’s men imposed themselves on the game and created the early chances, with Luis Diaz, Mateus Uribe and Zaidu Sanusi all threatening Edouard Mendy’s goal.
It was the Blues, though, who went ahead with their first shot on target.
Jorginho picked out Mount with a sharp pass and he left Sanusi on his backside following an even sharper turn, before drilling a fine shot across Agustin Marchesin.
Mendy palmed wide a header from Pepe before blocking a shot from Moussa Marega as Porto looked to hit back.
Mount set up a good chance for Timo Werner but he headed wide, while Cesar Azpilicueta did even worse with a header of his own from Chilwell’s free-kick.
Diaz fired just wide for Porto but with the clock ticking down, Tuchel’s men struck a devastating blow.
First Pulisic broke down the right and rifled a shot against the bar.
Seconds later, Chilwell pounced on an error from Jesus Corona and after a lung-bursting run, rounded Marchesin to give Chelsea victory.
PORTO (4-4-2): Marchesin 5; Manafa 6 (Conceicao 83), Mbemba 6, Pepe 7, Sanusi 6; Corona 7, Grujic 6, Uribe 6, Otavio 8 (Toni Martinez 83); Marega 7 (Vieira 83), Diaz 7.
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Mendy 7; Azpilicueta 7, Christensen 7, Rudiger 7; James 8 (Silva 80), Jorginho 7, Kovacic 7 (Emerson 90), Chilwell 9; MOUNT 9 (Kante 80), Havertz 7 (Giroud 65, 7), Werner 6 (Pulisic 65, 7).
REFEREE: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia) 7.