Chelsea player ratings vs PSG: Blues suffer WORST-EVER Champions League defeat as Mamadou Sarr and Moises Caicedo errors kill comeback dream

Chelsea's Champions League campaign came to an end with a whimper after losing 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their last-16 tie, falling to an 8-2 defeat across 180 minutes of action. The aggregate defeat is the Blues' heaviest in their history of competing in the knockout stages of the European Cup, equalling their 7-1 hammering by Bayern Munich in 2020.

PSG took the lead on the night, and extended their advantage to four goals in total, with only six minutes on the clock. Makeshift right-back Mamadou Sarr failed to control a long ball in behind the Chelsea defence from goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, allowing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to nip in and fire beyond Robert Sanchez.

Less than 10 minutes later, PSG had another. Moises Caicedo gave possession away in central midfield and the visitors broke at pace, with Achraf Hakimi eventually pulling the ball back for Bradley Barcola to fire into the top corner.

Kvaratskhelia had the ball in the net once again on the half-hour mark but he was denied the goal by a late offside flag, before Barcola sprinted clear of Chelsea's high line before dragging his shot wide. Late in the first half, Safonov made two fine saves at the other end to thwart Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, while Sanchez denied Barcola after a fast counter-attack from the resulting corner.

Seconds after Liam Delap forced another stop out of Safonov, PSG scored again; Kvaratskhelia rolled the ball back for Hakimi, who was dispossessed by Andrey Santos on the edge of the box, but the loose ball fell kindly for Senny Mayulu to stroke into the top corner.

Chelsea had to finish the match with 10 men after Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off with an injury after the hosts had used all five of their substitutes, but PSG dropped their intensity and no stoppage time was added on as the hosts were soon put out of their misery.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Robert Sanchez (5/10):
Made some decent saves when PSG's red arrows flew forward at breakneck speed. Couldn't really do much about any of the goals, in fairness.
Mamadou Sarr (3/10):
Thrown in by Rosenior at right-back and wasn't quite sure where to stand. Failed to clear his lines leading to the first goal of the second leg and never recovered. Hooked at half-time. Away from the action at Stamford Bridge, his Africa Cup of Nations winners' medal was revoked, so it was a pretty disastrous night for the 20-year-old on multiple fronts.
Trevoh Chalobah (4/10):
Didn't provide much support to Champions League debutant Sarr. A handy target on attacking set-pieces, though Chelsea didn't use their height difference to their advantage. Stretchered off with injury.
Jorrel Hato (5/10):
Given a rare start at centre-back as opposed to left-back. One of Chelsea's more composed players, striding into the opposition half on occasion.
Marc Cucurella (4/10):
Lacked his usual bite and energy. Considering Chelsea's youth, they desperately needed the Euro 2024-winner's experience to guide them, but he was as lost as anyone else on that pitch.

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Midfield
Moises Caicedo (3/10):
Given the runaround by PSG's more technical midfielders and conceded possession leading to the visitors' second goal of the evening. Ended the game at right-back after Chalobah was taken off on a stretcher.
Andrey Santos (3/10):
Similarly couldn't get near his counterparts in red. A stark reminder of how far away Chelsea are from going toe-to-toe with the best of Europe's possession-dominant teams.
Cole Palmer (5/10):
Threaded some nice passes in behind PSG's defence early on but didn't take the game by the scruff of the neck. One of three players withdrawn on the hour mark.
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Attack
Pedro Neto (4/10):
Showed incredibly fleeting glimpses of quality, but against a PSG side with this attacking threat you need more sustained threat than that to impress.
Joao Pedro (5/10):
Made his way into promising positions in and around the PSG box but was missing his shooting boots. Taken off after 60 minutes.
Enzo Fernandez (4/10):
The problem with a player like Fernandez is he drifts into the background when not scoring or assisting. Starting out on the left here, he couldn't make the impact required of him. Also withdrawn after an hour.

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Subs & Manager
Josh Acheampong (5/10):
Chelsea's only fully-fit right-back came on at half-time for Sarr.
Romeo Lavia (4/10):
Brought on to add another man to the midfield battle. It didn't really matter as PSG continued to dominate.
Alejandro Garnacho (5/10):
A lively but fruitless cameo off the bench.
Liam Delap (5/10):
Was also a busy body in attack but couldn't find the net.
Tosin Adarabioyo (5/10):
Came on to bolster defensive numbers with Chelsea already six down on aggregate.
Liam Rosenior (2/10):
Fielded Chelsea's youngest-ever XI for a Champions League knockout game and this faith in youth came back to bite him. The decision to play Sarr out of position alone killed any hope of a comeback.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

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