Thomas Tuchel had just steered Chelsea into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2014 when he was asked who he wanted to face in the last four. The German said he preferred to take on teams from another country. He got his wish when Real Madrid eliminated Liverpool.
And yet a still more seismic all-English clash could beckon on the European stage. Saturday's FA Cup semi-final could be a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final. To some, Chelsea against Manchester City in the showpiece occasion would be the triumph of the nouveaux riches, to others a triumph of coaching.
City have 28 wins in 30, Chelsea only two defeats in 17 under Tuchel and the most recent of them, in Seville on Tuesday, felt a technicality: Mehdi Teremi’s spectacular injury-time overhead kick came too late to give Porto any hope of progress and to all intents and purposes the game was a stalemate.
The Tuchel renaissance has been remarkable. It may have come with an unwitting assist from Pep Guardiola. An injury-time goal also distorted the scoreline when these two clubs last met. It finished Chelsea 1 Manchester City 3 at Stamford Bridge in January but the visitors’ superiority was far greater than that.
They were 3-0 up in 34 minutes, with Chelsea utterly bemused by Guardiola’s use of Kevin de Bruyne as a false nine. It felt an indictment of Frank Lampard. It was hard to escape the sense that he was outclassed by Guardiola.
Chelsea had actually kicked off above City, who were depleted by coronavirus cases, but the Londoners’ fourth defeat in six games assumed a greater significance. Lampard did not recover.
Tuchel looks an upgrade; his extraordinary early impact means he has reached a second successive Champions League semi-final with different clubs. He could yet do the Roberto Di Matteo double: in 2012, another mid-season appointment won Chelsea both the FA Cup and the Champions League, though Tuchel will surely have more staying power than their greatest caretaker.
Chelsea 0 Porto 1: player ratings
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
He renews a rivalry from Guardiola. Lampard may note that he actually has more victories against the Catalan, courtesy of the game that rendered Liverpool champions last summer.
Tuchel faced Guardiola twice with Mainz, losing by an aggregate score of 6-1, and three times with Borussia Dortmund, going down 5-1 in his first Der Klassiker and losing a German Cup final on penalties.
Yet Tuchel counts Jose Mourinho, Diego Simeone, Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp among his victims from his brief time in charge of Chelsea. He qualifies as a big-game manager. Despite his fine record in their previous meetings, Guardiola may look back at the past with some trepidation.
Rewind four years and Antonio Conte became the first manager to record home-and-away league wins over the Catalan in the same season.
Tuchel has borrowed heavily from a predecessor, reinstating his back three, reviving Cesar Azpilicueta’s career on the right of it and restoring the rejuvenated Antonio Rudiger on the left.
N’Golo Kante, an old scourge of City, is at his best as a “double six,” in Tuchel’s terminology. Chelsea’s previously porous defence has been afforded more protection, both by personnel and a system.
Take out the aberration of their 5-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion and they have conceded three goals in 16 games; of those, one was an own goal, another spectacular. In contrast, City got three in 16 minutes in their last meeting.
Much like their 6-0 thrashing of Mauricio Sarri’s Chelsea, it reverberated because of who the losers were. Now Chelsea are transformed. Tuchel and Guardiola could be a defining battle in the FA Cup and the Champions League; perhaps in next season’s Premier League, too.
Dortmund 1 City 2: player ratings
BORUSSIA DORTMUND RATINGS: Marwin Hitz 7 - Had a tremendous game and kept City at bay until the penalty, for which he dived the right way but couldn’t stop Mahrez’s well-hit effort. Excellent distribution when under pressure. He made a great save to deny De Bruyne, but should have done better to keep out Foden’s goal at the near post. Reuters
Mateu Morey 5 – The full-back was a weak link and City tried to exploit him by overloading players on the left. Reuters
Manuel Akanji 6 – Had a good chance to double Dortmund’s lead soon after Bellingham’s goal, but his header didn’t trouble Ederson. At the other end, other than one mistake where he lost his footing, he stood his ground well. PA
Matts Hummels 7 – Looked confident on the ball with both feet and showed his experience on numerous occasions. He started plenty of moves with his incisive passing, and worked with Guerreiro to double team Mahrez at every opportunity. Headed the ball against the post in the second half. AFP
Raphael Guerreiro 6 – Got forward on the overlap several times on the left-hand side but rarely got the better of Walker. Reuters
Emre Can 5 – Gave away a penalty when he handled Phil Foden’s cross. He stooped low to try and clear but got his angles wrong. It was one of several mistakes in which he lost the ball, or his man. AFP
Mahmoud Dahoud 6 – Warmed Ederson’s gloves with a well-struck effort in the opening exchanges. He was involved in a fascinating tussle with Gundogan in which both players performed admirably. EPA
Jude Bellingham 7 – The 17-year-old was a man possessed. He scored his first Champions League goal and became the youngest Englishman to score in the competition. He showed quick feet to get the ball onto his right foot, and then stroked the ball into the top corner. He then saved a shot off the line, but fizzled out in the second half. PA
Marco Reus 6 – Saw a shot blocked by Kyle Walker as Dortmund went for a second goal. He later crossed for Hummels, who headed against the post. AP
Ansgar Knauff 4 – A disappointing evening, and there’ll be question marks as to why he wasn’t replaced sooner. There was little of the usual pace or aggression in the press. Getty
Erling Haaland 7 – Got the wrong side of John Stones in the build-up to the goal. Held the ball up well and brought others into play, but he was well marshalled by Stones and Dias overall. Reuters
SUBS: Giovanni Reyna (Knauff, 68) 5 – Was brought on to try and exploit the space that Haaland created with his runs, but to no avail. AFP
Thorgen Hazard (Dahoud, 75) N/A – Should have been introduced earlier, but he came on just before the corner that led to City’s goal and he probably could have been tighter to prevent the shot. AFP
Julian Brandt (Bellingham, 81) N/A – Probably would have been frustrated not to start, but he couldn’t influence the game with nine minutes left on the clock. EPA
Steffen Tigges (Morey, 81) N/A – A late addition who didn’t see much of the ball. AFP
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 6 – The Brazilian was at full stretch but couldn’t keep Bellingham’s effort out of goal. He was solid throughout, though, and his distribution as impressive as ever. PA
Kyle Walker 6 – Made a good block to deny Reus when Dortmund were on top, but didn’t offer City a great deal at either end. His pace is unquestionable, but he was one of the weak links. Getty
John Stones 7 – Got the wrong side of Haaland in the build-up to the Dortmund goal, but recovered well to keep Dortmund at bay for the rest of the game. Reuters
Ruben Dias 7 – Didn’t do enough to prevent Bellingham from finding the net, but otherwise did exceptionally well to keep the Norwegian quiet for much of the game. Made a key block shortly after Mahrez’s penalty. Getty
Oleksandr Zinchenko 7 – Delivered a couple of crosses from the left hand side and threatened with a long-range effort. Reuters
Rodri 7 – A very understated performance in which he was a steady influence in those moments of the game when Dortmund threatened. PA
Ilkay Gundogan 6 – The German was everywhere, harassing Dortmund all over the pitch and quick to break when he went on the attack. Reuters
Kevin De Bruyne 9 –City’s driving force and he came close to levelling when, after having won the ball back on the edge of the area, he struck an effort against Dortmund’s post. He came close again in the second half, but it was his overall work rate that marks him out as City’s standout player. AFP
Riyadh Mahrez 7 – Came close to an equaliser when he emerged out of nowhere to get on the end of Foden’s hooked ball into the box, but his shot was blocked by Bellingham. However, he made sure later when he stepped up to convert from the penalty spot. AFP
Phil Foden 8 – Scored City’s decisive second goal with a fierce shot from the edge of the area that was too much for Hitz at the near post. Earlier, he showed a great touch to bring the ball down before hooking it back to Mahrez for shoot. PA
Bernardo Silva 6 – Was quick to respond after De Bruyne hit the upright, but his header on the rebound didn’t trouble Hitz. He later supplied a short corner to Foden for the second goal. EPA
SUB: Raheem Sterling (Mahrez, 88) N/A – A late addition, Sterling looked a bit rusty. On one occasion, he ran into the area and was caught in two minds about what to do, before losing possession. EPA
