Thomas Tuchel dedicated Chelsea's Champions League semi-final qualification to Mateo Kovacic, who will miss Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with a hamstring problem.
Mehdi Taremi's late overhead kick handed Porto a 1-0 win over the Blues in Tuesday's quarter-final second leg in Seville but Chelsea reached the last four 2-1 on aggregate.
Croatia midfielder Kovacic suffered a hamstring problem in training on Monday so was a late withdrawal from Chelsea's Porto showdown, and will also miss Saturday's Wembley FA Cup battle with Manchester City.
N'Golo Kante stepped up to start as he moved past his own latest hamstring concern, producing a midfield masterclass to draw high praise from manager Tuchel.
Chelsea's German boss will now hope Kante can recover quickly enough to start Saturday's big FA Cup match.
"It was very sad to see Kova yesterday after 20 minutes in training, to have this little muscle injury from more or less out of nothing," said Tuchel.
"He felt his hamstring, I was very sad for him, and also we don't have so many experienced players when it comes to the Champions League.
"I think he is for sure out for the game against City as well, so it's a big loss. So we did it also for him today.
"And it was clear we had to use N'Golo, we took the situation and put him on the field and hope he can have the energy for 90 minutes.
"N'Golo is incredible, he's like two players. Everybody who sees him for the first time loves him. All my family love him when they watch our games now.
"It's just so nice to have him. When he wins so many balls he gives everybody confidence.
"I was not sure if we would have started N'Golo if we had everyone available. But now it's time to recover and we'll see how we go."
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 5 – He was almost punished for a poor clearance but was bailed out by Jorginho, who blocked Corona’s effort. He made one save from a Teremi header, but could little about the goal. EPA -
Cesar Azpilicueta 6 – The skipper led by example and put his body on the line with several challenges throughout. A solid display. Reuters -
Thiago Silva 6 – Was rarely tested but once again his calming presence made it look so easy for the home side. His experience was vital. EPA -
Antonio Rudiger 7 – An absolute colossus in the air. Porto had several corners and free-kicks, but Rudiger dominated the aerial battles. EPA -
Reece James 6 – Was forced to play a more withdrawn role in more defensive approach, which stifled his usual forward runs. Still, an accomplished and steady performance. AFP -
Jorginho 7 – His presence made Chelsea very compact and difficult to break down. His biggest contribution was to block Corona’s goal-bound effort following Mendy’s wayward clearance. EPA -
N’Golo Kante 6 – The Frenchman wasn’t expected to last the full 90 minutes but he not only played to the last whistle, he chased and harassed throughout. EPA -
Ben Chilwell 6 – Like James was pegged back and was kept busy by the lively Corona, but he grew into the game and let very little get past him after the break. AFP -
Mason Mount 6 – A largely ineffective game from Mount, who started as part of a front three. He saw plenty of the ball and looked dangerous on the break, but couldn’t fashion any clear-cut chances. Reuters -
Kai Havertz 6 – Playing as a No 9, he was starved of the ball and had a quiet game. He had an opportunity early in the game but decided to cross instead of shoot. EPA -
Christian Pulisic 8 – He’ll no doubt have a few bruises after this one, having been fouled 11 times, but his attacking intent caused Porto problems. He had the best chance of the night in the second half, but he couldn’t get proper contact on his volley when unmarked in the area. EPA -
SUB: Hakim Ziyech (Mount, 86) N/A – With Chelsea facing pressure at the death, Ziyech was brought on presumably to keep possession. An odd change. EPA -
SUB: Olivier Giroud (Havertz, 91) N/A – The Frenchman came on in injury time and had few opportunities to get on the ball. EPA -
Agustin Marchesin 5 – The Argentine stopper had very little to do, as Chelsea threatened on the counter without forcing him into a save of note. AFP -
Pepe 6 – Was involved in a heavy challenge early on that flattened Havertz, before then making a couple of key blocks to deny the German getting his crosses in. He helped keep Chelsea quiet, but not without giving away plenty of free-kicks. Reuters -
Mateus Uribe 6 – Had a solid game and fought until the end, but it wasn’t enough. Had a long-range effort that didn’t trouble the Chelsea goal. Reuters -
Moussa Marega 5 – Selected ahead of Taremi and though he started well, holding the ball up and bringing others into play, the introduction of Taremi later on brought an extra dimension to the Porto attack. AFP -
Zaidu Sanusi 6 – The Nigerian was impressive, winning most of his battles on the floor and in the air. He made two key clearances too, and enjoyed an excellent tussle with Reece James. AFP -
Marko Grujic 6 – Directed a header towards goal from a corner but it was blocked by Ben Chilwell. His presence and strength were perfect for a game like this. Reuters -
Jesus Corona 7 – Should have scored when he got himself into a good shooting opportunity after giving Chilwell the slip. He had more time than he realised, but blazed over the bar. Gave Chilwell a tricky evening. AFP -
Wilson Manafa 5 – He made a key challenge – though earned a yellow card for his troubles - to prevent Mason Mount from having a goalscoring opportunity after he broke free on the left, but was substituted in the second half. AFP -
Chancel Mbemba 6 – Battled hard alongside Pepe and won many of his battles in open play against Chelsea’s front three. Good on the ball – supplying Corona on one occasion – and quick to snuff out the ball. Reuters -
Otavio 5 – Looked a bit lost in a wide position and did little to trouble Reece James. Reuters -
Sergio Oliveira 5 – Returned to the side after having missed the first leg, but he was quiet this evening and probably should have been replaced earlier than he was. Porto looked a greater threat without him. Booked for a foul on Pulisic. EPA -
SUB: Mehdi Taremi (Marko Grujic, 63') 8 – He threatened with a goal-bound header before scoring the only goal of the night, a spectacular overhead kick that’s a worthy contender for goal of the season. EPA -
SUB: Nanu (Manafa, 75) n/a – Provided the pass from the right that led to Terami’s winning goal. EPA -
SUB: Evanilson (Marega, 75) n/a – Will feel hard done by that he didn’t win a penalty after a tussle with Rudiger. Reuters -
SUB: Luis Diaz (Corona, 75) n/a – Another player to get booked for a foul on Pulisic. Needs more game time in this Porto team. EPA -
SUB: Fabio Vieira (Oliviera, 84) n/a – A late addition with Porto chasing the game. Provided a bit more creativity to add to the brute force approach. AFP
Chelsea will now face either Real Madrid or Liverpool in their first Champions League semi-final since 2014.
The Blues always had the upper hand in Tuesday's second leg, after last week's 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell.
Porto snatched a goal in second-half added time but never truly threated to turn the tie on its head.
Tuchel knows Chelsea won no points for style in Seville but made no apologies for his players' hard graft that yielded major dividend.
"It's a part of performance not to let your opponent perform, this is what they do and this is what we do also," said Tuchel.
"It was a day to hang in there, to show all the effort, intensity, all the team spirit that was needed. If you don't have the experience, if you have a young team, then it's the time to keep the momentum and be together.
"I'm very happy because it was a very tough fight. There was a lot of work to do where you don't get the praise.
"There is nobody here to clap you for a tackle so a lot of hard work in secret was done, and that's why I'm very, very happy."
Several Chelsea and Porto players clashed at the final whistle but Tuchel downplayed any incident.
"It was just a little argument with me and their coach, and everybody was following me suddenly," said Tuchel.
"I thought it was between me and the coach, but obviously it was not so. But no harm done there."
Porto boss Sergio Conceicao insisted he reacted to words from Chelsea's coaches.
"I don't know about the reaction, I couldn't quite understand what he said," said Conceicao of Tuchel.
"There were some insults, it happened, it was not nice and that's why I was irritated and was worried about my players.
"Our defensive performance was wonderful. We limited them as much as we could and we tried to score goals.
"We were superior in both matches but we lacked that bit of efficiency.
"I'm proud of our efforts in the competition overall but obviously not happy, because we have lost."
