Real Madrid and Chelsea their first leg encounter one goal apiece following a wet and wild night in Spain.
Christian Pulisic had the Premier League side ahead early in a first half that they dominated, only for Karim Benzema to hit back on the half hour mark against the run of play.
There were few chances in the second half, and so the tie is nicely poised for the return game in London next Wednesday.
The Mail rate the contributions of individual player in the epic encounter
REAL MADRID
Thibaut Courtois – Brilliant early stop to deny Werner’s point-blank effort only to be beaten by Pulisic moments later. 7
Eder Militao – Looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights as Chelsea came out with all guns blazing – but played a role in his side’s leveller. 6.5
Raphael Varane – One of the world’s best central defenders but he looked anything but as Chelsea ran Madrid’s rearguard ragged. 6
Nacho – Took a while to adapt to the change of system and looked startled by Chelsea’s pace but eventually settled into the game. 6
Dani Carvajal – Overworked defensively down Real’s right hand side as Chelsea smelt blood early on. 6
Luka Modric – Chelsea didn’t give the brilliant Croatian a second to breath in the engine room. Just as well. 6.5
Casemiro – Immense at Anfield in the quarter-final but took a little while to settle down here as Chelsea asserted themselves. 6
Toni Kroos – Unsurprisingly saw more of the ball than any Real player, but Chelsea didn’t give him time to have his usual impact. Booked. 6.5
Marcelo – Went missing defensively at the start but eventually regained his composure. Not at his excellent best. 5.5
Karim Benzema – Brilliantly equalised for his side against the run of play. A constant threat for the Spaniards. 7
Vinicius Junior – Tried his best to stretch Chelsea, but the Blues defence kept him under control for the most part. Booked. 6
Subs: Hazard 6 (Vinicius 66); Odriozola, booked (Carvajal 77); Asensio (Marcelo 77); Rodrygo (Benzema 90)
Subs not used: Lunin, Isco, Mariano, Altube, Arribas, Blanco, Gutiérrez.
Zinedine Zidane – Will be happy with how his team responded to Chelsea’s blistering start. His decision to change the system didn’t work. 6
CHELSEA
Edouard Mendy – Had very little to do apart from pick the ball out of the net as Chelsea threw caution to the wind. 6.5
Andreas Christensen – Lost Benzema for a split second just before the Frenchman’s superb leveller but an otherwise strong night. 6.5
Thiago Silva – Will be disappointed by Benzema’s goal but eased through this match. A calming influence in the heart of Chelsea’s defence. 6.5
Antonio Rudiger – Continued his excellent form since the turn of the year. Set-up Pulisic’s excellent opener. 7
Cesar Azpilicueta – Lost a crucial header to Militao in the lead up to Real’s leveller but was largely dependable in the teeming rain. 6.5
N’Golo Kante – So much energy and quality in central midfield. Superb at both ends of the pitch. 7
Jorginho – Massively influential and looked at home in a congested and illustrious midfield area. Everything went through the Italian. 8
Ben Chilwell – Provided a beneficial outlet for the Blues. Saw plenty of the ball and used it well for his team. 7
Christian Pulisic – Took his early goal brilliantly and caused Real’s defence all worlds of problems with his movement. Booked. 7.5
Timo Werner – Missed a guild-edged opportunity to open the scoring. It didn’t get much better for German. 5.5
Mason Mount – Buzzed around the pitch causing problems wherever he ventured. Truly belongs at this level. 7
Subs: James 6 (Azpilicueta 66); Ziyech 6 (Pulisic 66); Havertz 6 (Werner 66)
Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Alonso, Abraham, Caballero, Zouma, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Gilmour, Emerson.
Thomas Tuchel: Should be delighted with his side’s display – but will leave Spain feeling his side should have left with more. 7
