‘There were many moments where we suffered’, says Tuchel as Chelsea beat Porto

Win sees Blues take large step towards last four of Champions League with 2-0 'away' win

CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 8 – Produced a string of smart saves to keep his record of clean sheets in this competition intact; it’s now seven in eight games. He saved well from Pepe’s header, and again to block Marega. EPA

Cesar Azpilicueta 5 – He made a crucial block at one stage, but his lack of composure on the ball was a worry. AFP

Andreas Christensen 6 – His range of passing was off as he looked to find Reece James on the right, but he grew into the game after a nervy start. Reuters

Antonio Rudiger 6 – Chelsea will be concerned their inability to defend set pieces, but Rudiger was solid throughout, apart from when he let Marega get the better of him at the start of the second half. EPA

Reece James 8 – Had a lot of space on the right but his teammates were unable to utilise him. He was solid at the other end, even when Porto applied more pressure in the second half. EPA

Jorginho 6 – Was overrun in the opening half hour but then slipped in Mason Mount with a key pass as Chelsea broke the lead. Improved in the second half but was weak defensively. Reuters

Mateo Kovacic 7 – Was a solid presence and he started the move that saw Ben Chilwell round the keeper for Chelsea’s second. AFP

Ben Chilwell 7 – Added width to the Chelsea side as they looked to stretch a compact set-up. He didn’t have as much space as James, but he added the decisive second goal when he broke free and tapped home late on. Reuters

Mason Mount 8 – Opened the scoring against the run of play with a tantalising turn and impressive low finish. He continued to work hard all game, and pressed from the front before being replaced. Reuters

Kai Havertz 4 – Missed a good chance in the second half when teed up by Werner, but this was the highlight of an otherwise poor evening in which he failed to make an impact. AFP

Timo Werner 6 – Isolated in the first half, he came alive at the start of the second when he headed just over from close range. He worked hard, but overall it was a frustrating evening of few touches for the German. EPA

SUB: Christian Pulisic (Werner, 65) 6 – Struck the crossbar moments before Chilwell scored and added more of a cutting edge to Chelsea’s attack. EPA

SUB: Olivier Giroud (Havertz, 65) 6 – Immediately gave Chelsea more presence in the final third. EPA

SUB: N’Golo Kante (Mount, 80) N/A – Worked tirelessly when he came on and put pressure on the home side all over the pitch. EPA

SUB: Thiago Silva (James, 80) N/A – Came on as James tired and helped Chelsea see out the closing 10 minutes. Reuters

SUB: Emerson (Kovacic, 92) N/A – Brought on in injury time to help slow the game down and had little time to get involved. EPA

PORTO RATINGS: Agustin Marchesín 5 – Will feel he could have done better with the opening goal. He lead with his feet rather than his hands, and the ball went under his leading foot. He was also rounded easily by Chilwell for the second, too. Reuters

Wilson Manafá 5 – The Porto favourite made his 100th Porto appearance but he wasn’t quite at the peak of his powers. AFP

Chancel Mbemba 5 – The former Newcastle centre-back had a solid outing but was booked in the second half for a challenge on Ben Chilwell. Reuters

Pepe 7 – The former Real Madrid defender was always alert and was usually found covering his teammates. He came close to a goal at the other end with a header that forced Mendy into a smart save to his left. EPA

Zaidu Sanusi 4 – Sabusi met his match in Reece James and he had very few chances to get the better of the England international at either end. EPA

Jesus Corona 5 – Started the game impressively but was at fault when Chilwell broke free to add a second goal. Reuters

Marko Grujic 7 – In for the suspended Sergio Oliviera, Grujic was arguably one of Porto’s best players. He won everything in the air and on the floor. He had a headed opportunity on the stroke of half-time but couldn’t apply enough power to trouble Mendy. AFP

Mateus Uribe 7 – Showed his importance to the team with vital contributions at both ends. He skimmed the top of the net early on with a volley and overall looked calm and collected on the ball. EPA

Otávio Monteiro 7 – Caused Chelsea several problems. It was his dynamic movement and neat touches around the Blues box that saw him create a number of openings. AFP

Moussa Marega 6 – He had a glorious chance to level the scores shortly after the break but, after having broken free inside the box, he hit his shot straight at Mendy on the angle. His pace caused Chelsea problems but he lacked composure. AFP

Luis Díaz 6 – Had the first shot of the game, which was blocked, and it turns out he had a player behind him in a better position. Later, he was guilty of standing off Jorginho in the build-up to Mount’s goal. Reuters

SUB: Francisco Conceição (Manafa, 83) N/A – On for the last 10 minutes, Porto lost a bit of their physical presence when Conceição took to the field. Reuters

SUB: Toni Martínez (Marega, 83) N/A – Porto fans might wonder why he wasn’t brought on sooner; he might have shown a bit more potency than the likes of Marega. AFP

SUB: Fabio Vieira (Monteiro, 83) N/A – Another youngster who might have benefited coming on earlier. He added another dimension to Porto’s midfield. EPA

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel praised his side for overcoming the shock of last week's 5-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion as they beat Porto 2-0 in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Chelsea conceded more than double the amount of goals against struggling West Brom as in their previous 14 games under Tuchel but looked like their usual selves against Porto, winning thanks to goals from Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell.

"We had a lot of excellent results together, then we had a loss together and then a reaction after a loss together. That brings us closer together and increases the trust," Tuchel told reporters.

"I was pretty sure [that his team would react]. I saw a response immediately in the dressing room and the next day. That wasn't a big concern. We were ready to respond. There'll always be setbacks in sports. The biggest challenge is to bounce back."

Chelsea dominated both legs of their last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid but were on the back foot for large chunks against Porto.

"There were many moments where we suffered. We accepted it. The circumstances are a bit different in a quarter-final. The spirit was good and it was an excellent result," added the German, who led Paris Saint-Germain to last year's final.

"We're very happy to go away with this result but it's only halftime."

Porto have not made it beyond the Champions League quarter-finals since last winning the competition under Jose Mourinho in 2004 but they took the game to their opponents in their home leg of the tie, which was played in Seville due to coronavirus restrictions in Portugal.

Coach Sergio Conceicao underlined the huge wealth gap between the two sides which saw Chelsea bring on some star names from the bench.

He felt, however, that his side had played better than their richer opponents.

"We know Chelsea's strengths. They sent on Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud, N'Golo Kante and Thiago Silva – they have different weapons. But we were superior," he said.

"There are no moral victories however, what counts is the result. But we're in the middle of the tie so let's believe."