Chelsea Breeze Past Lille To Reach UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal, the Blues Beat the French Champions 2:1

• Chelsea beat Lille 4-1 on aggregate to book their place in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League
• Chelsea won on the night thanks to goals from Christian Pulisic and their captain, César Azpilicueta
• Lille started much the stronger side on the night but were eventually outplayed by a determined Chelsea outfit

Chelsea are through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.

The Blues took a step closer to defending their crown as they beat Lille 2-1 in France and 4-1 on aggregate.

With a stadium full of passionate and proud supporters behind them, Lille took the fight to Chelsea from the get-go. The French side looked more comfortable on the ball and didn’t allow the Blues to settle.

Lille had more possession of the ball in the first half-hour and won a few set pieces, but didn’t trouble Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal. Burak Yilmaz and Jonathan David led the line for the French side but never looked like a serious threat.

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Lille finally were rewarded for their pressure when they were awarded a penalty in the 36th minute. Xeka chested a ball down in the Chelsea box and Jorginho appeared to move his hand to knock the ball from close range.

The foul wasn’t given immediately but the Video Assistant Referee soon stepped in. A penalty was awarded and Yilmaz stepped up to convert the goal. Yilmaz became the oldest player to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League at 36.

Chelsea gained a stronger foothold in the game after going behind and started to look more like themselves. Just over ten minutes later, they were level. Jorginho redeemed himself as he played a delightful through ball which found Christian Pulisic.

Pulisic found the back of the net, shooting across the face of the goal, to bring Chelsea level in the game and restore their two-goal advantage. The goal came with the last kick of the first half as Lille seemed to have switched off waiting for the final whistle.

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The two goals in the half were also the only two shots on target for either side.

Lille started the second half better

The second half started with Lille on the front foot again.

The French side created three chances within 60 seconds as David and Yilmaz had headers that they failed to put away. With Chelsea still holding a two goal advantage, the French side played like a side chasing the game.

Xeka came close to giving them the lead once again when he hit the post in the 63rd minute. Xeka got his head onto a beautiful Yilmaz cross but could not score.

With Lille looking most likely to score next, Chelsea broke the host’s hearts as they scored against the run of play. Mason Mount came on as a sub and found César Azpilicueta in the box. The Chelsea captain managed to find the back of the net even though he connected with the ball with his knee.

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The second goal seemed to have taken the fight out of Lille as Chelsea looked more likely to score a third. Marcos Alonso went close in the 91st minute but saw his attempt saved.

Chelsea ran out 2-1 winners on the night and 4-1 winners on aggregate. The score sadly made Lille a lot worse than they were across the two legs.

UEFA Champions League: Chelsea look to kill off the tie, Lille hope to knock out defending champions at home

Chelsea head into their UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash against Lille, knowing that they have a two-goal advantage over their hosts. Chelsea beat the French side in England thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic, Sports Brief reported.

With a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament up for grabs, Chelsea will be looking to become the third English club to make the final 8 after Liverpool and Manchester City already qualified. The other English team, Manchester United, were knocked out by Atletico Madrid in yesterday’s fixture.

Chelsea left it late to beat Newcastle United over the weekend and consolidate their third place in the English Premier League, Fan Nation reported. Despite the numerous sanctions and issues affecting the club on and off the pitch, Chelsea have managed to block out the background noise and still pick up wins.