4 positives and 2 negatives as PSG cruise past Chelsea in the Champions League

Paris easily cruised past Chelsea 3-0 in the second-leg thanks to a ruthless first-half display at Stamford Bridge. After a dominant 5-2 home win last week in the first-leg, the European Champions had a 8-2 aggregate win over the Blues. They will now face either Galatasaray or Liverpool in the next round.

Four positives and two negatives as Paris SG dominated Chelsea

Positive: Fine finishing from attackers a reminder of how devastating Parisians can be

The first and most obvious positive from last night’s game was the quality of PSG’s finishing, which was superb. Both Barcola and Mayulu’s strikes were sensationally taken: into the top corner from the edge of the box, while Kvaratskhelia’s opener was also a tidy finish. PSG’s attackers looked in devastating form all night long, and proved impossible to contain for Chelsea’s makeshift backline. Whoever PSG face next in the Champions League will have a tough task attempting to contain this attacking fury of a team.

Positive: An impressive away win for PSG, and an avoidance of any repeat of last year’s discomfort at Villa Park

Going into the game, some of the doubts on the PSG end were related to last year’s game at Villa Park, where Paris, 2-0 up on the night and with a two-goal lead from the first leg, contrived to almost throw away the whole tie in the space of a few minutes as Villa scrambled in three goals in quick succession. There was a sense that the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge last night might have led to a similar situation, but PSG remained serene throughout, managing the game well and hitting Chelsea on the counterattack in devastating fashion.

Positive: Safonov on top form as Chelsea fail to find breakthrough

Another pleasing point for fans of PSG will be that Matvei Safonov looked sharp in goal for the European Champions. Given the issues that PSG have had in that position this season, it’s a good sign that the Russian shot-stopper was able to perform to a high standard on the European stage. Incredibly, the Russian goalkeeper made nine saves, as Chelsea rained down a number of shots on PSG’s goal – although very few of the Blues’ efforts proved to be difficult for Safonov to manage.

Positive: One eye on the semis as quarter final opponent looks potentially manageable

Of course, it’s a bad idea to underestimate anyone in the Champions League, but on paper, PSG will feel that they should be going through whichever of Liverpool and Galatasaray they meet in the quarter finals. The two sides will play tonight at Anfield for a place against PSG, with Galatasaray currently leading 1-0 from the first leg. Liverpool’s title defence in the Premier League has been poor this season, and a woeful home draw to lowly Tottenham last weekend typifies the lack of inspiration that has cursed Arne Slot’s side all season. As for Galatasaray, they seem to concede too many goals to have a chance of realistically going through against PSG, as the French side would be favourites against almost anyone in the sort of open shoot-out game that Galatasaray have been involved in so far this season.

Negative: PSG concede too many shots and benefit from woeful Chelsea finishing

One of the few downsides from last night’s team performance was the number of shots that PSG conceded. Admittedly they were leading by a number of goals which meant more leeway was possible in their performance, but PSG gave the ball away cheaply in midfield on a number of occasions, allowing Chelsea to run at PSG’s back four time and time again. Unfortunately for the London side, a combination of awful finishing and goalkeeping heroics meant that they somehow finished the tie with only two goals, despite arguably having created as many clear cut chances over both games as the Parisians. PSG will have to avoid conceding this many chances in the next rounds, whoever they might face.

Negative: Barcola limping off injured sparks fresh injury concern

One negative for PSG doesn’t pertain to their on field performance but rather to an injury sustained by Bradley Barcola – the young Frenchman limping off at the hour mark. Luis Enrique stated after the game that PSG were not yet sure of the severity of Barcola’s injuries. Unfortunately, following PSG's latest medical report, the France international player will miss several weeks of actions with a severe ligament sprain in his right ankle. PSG fans will hope that the winger will soon be back in action, in time for their next Champions League game, due currently on the 7th of April.