MIDAS TOUCH FROM MOUNT
Midfield star breaks Euro duck and puts Chelsea in driving seat
The pass was nothing special. Floated upfield, it landed at the feet of Jesus Corona. The control was abysmal, a poor first touch that tamely offered up possession. Ben Chilwell took it from there.
A moment of pure class that may well have decided this tie.
he sprinted forward, Pepe in forlorn pursuit, rounded keeper Agustin Marchesin, popped it into the empty net.
A lovely flowing movement that gave Chelsea a 2-0 win and the same number of away goals. That should be it now. even though next week’s second leg is at the same neutral venue of Seville’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, it counts as Chelsea’s home tie. Porto need three to progress.
With normal service resumed, it does not looks as if they will get it. Who do they think they are? West Brom?
Thomas Tuchel is a smart guy.
he knows exactly what he has got at Chelsea, and what he lacks.
This is not a team going to take europe by storm, freewheeling, free-scoring. They may be edging towards Istanbul, but they are doing it one step at a time.
Last night, it was Mason Mount who made the difference after 32 minutes. Chelsea held on from there before Chilwell gave them breathing space.
They played Kai havertz as the falsest of nines, and Timo Werner as his hard-working sidekick. Neither looked like scoring.
Porto had more chances without greatly threatening. They had an excuse, mind, with striker Mehdi Taremi and his supplier Sergio Oliveira both missing through suspension.
As a pair, they account for 40 per cent of Porto’s goals this season. They will be back next week, though. expect more of the same from Tuchel’s men, then.
Most teams at this stage of the competition possess immense forward threat. Chelsea are different. This was a solid display, with break-out moments.
Christian Pulisic came on and hit the bar. Cesar Azpilicueta had a header from a great scoring position go wide.
Yet it was the nil that will please Tuchel after Saturday’s debacle.
Incredibly, there are still those who doubt the worth of Mount — for england more than Chelsea, admittedly — but the way he took the opening goal was evidence of a top-class talent. One of the finest young players, not just in this country, but across europe.
Until that moment, Chelsea had laboured. havertz put a decent cross in after three minutes but there was no one in the middle to receive it. And that was it, for Chelsea, until Mount scored.
No shots on target, no shots off either. It was not as if Porto were all over them but there was little danger. Mount’s first goal in european football changed that.
It came from a lovely pass from Jorginho. his eyes sending Porto’s defenders one way, his feet firing his pass into Mount just outside their area.
Yet it was Mount’s collection of the ball that transformed the moment. It was not quite a Cruyff turn, but it was the next stage down. Zaidu ended up sprawled on the pitch, bamboozled as
Mount sprinted towards goal. he finished low across goalkeeper Marchesin, who should have done more. At 22 years and 87 days, Mount became Chelsea’s youngest scorer in a Champions League knockout game.
‘It’s about time it (his first Champions League goal) came,’ he said. ‘I’ve been waiting patiently. A good pass by Jorginho, I had space and I hit it. I’m always working on it (finishing). I don’t think you can work on it enough.
‘I think I can improve on it and score more goals.’
Before the match, Porto had been trying to stoke tensions and a sense of injustice in their players. There had been talk of Chelsea players celebrating when the draw was made, which sounds dubious, and much focus on the financial disparity between the clubs. It was nonsense really. Porto are a big, big team — just one in a competition that does not generate the money of the Premier League. And they played like it, too. With confidence, with flair and with threat. Matheus Uribe was the first to test Chelsea’s resistance, with a half-volley that flew over. Soon after, they had a passage of play in which they forced three straight corners. For the last, Otavio curled one in with such venom it was all Chelsea keeper edouard Mendy could do to fish it out from his line. The ball was recycled and Zaidu shot over. After the goal, little changed. Jesus Corona had a shot deflected wide by Azpilicueta and a header from a corner by Pepe was tipped wide by Mendy. Uribe finished the half as he started with another strong attempt, this one diverted wide. And while Chelsea started the second half well, Porto were soon in their stride again. After 50 minutes, Moussa Marega caught Antonio Rudiger napping and forced an excellent save from Mendy, before Luis Diaz curled a shot just wide six minutes later. havertz, goal at his mercy from a matter of five yards out, missed late on. At which point, a linesman flagged offside meaning it would not have counted. Probably just as well.
FC PORTO (4-4-2): Marchesin; Manafa (Conceciao 83), Mbemba, Pepe, Sanusi; Corona, Grujic, Uribe, Otavio (Vieira 83); Marega (Martinez 83), Diaz. Subs not used: Leite, N’Diaye, Ramos, Baro, Mario, Anderson, Evanilson, Nanu, Sarr. Booked: Mbemba, Grujic. CHELSEA (3-4-3): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James (Silva 80), Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Mount (Kante 80), Werner (Pulisic 65), Havertz (Giroud 65). Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Alonso, Abraham, Caballero, Zouma, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Emerson. Booked: None. Man of the match: Mason Mount. Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)