- Barcelona were on the front constantly looking to force the issue in attack
- Chelsea were prepared to sit back and wait until they could land a big hit
- Antonio Conte’s players also appeared so up for the battle against Barcelona
- Andreas Christensen’s mistake was, however, all Barcelona needed on Tuesday
Before this match Antonio Conte said Chelsea needed to play a perfect game to have a chance in this tie.
He knew they couldn’t afford to gift an easy chance a team like Barcelona but that is exactly what they did.
One goal undid all their hard work and turned an excellent night into a bitterly disappointing one.
Andreas Christensen’s mistake led to Barcelona’s equaliser in the Champions League
![Lionel Messi scored to level the scoreline at 1-1 in the first leg of the last-16 fixture](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/02/20/23/496B4DD000000578-5415007-image-a-23_1519170871284.jpg)
Lionel Messi scored to level the scoreline at 1-1 in the first leg of the last-16 fixture
Inexperience cost Andreas Christensen. He played a blind pass across goal and it was duly punished — though Cesar Azpilicueta could have rescued his team-mate had he stayed on his feet, instead of diving in.
Playing across your own goal is widely considered the cardinal sin for a defender but, to be fair to Christensen, the modern centre back is encouraged to play out from the back and had his pass found a team-mate we would have thought nothing of it.
The issue was that he was careless, too casual in a game where full concentration for 90 minutes was required. Aside from this passage of play, Chelsea very nearly did play the perfect game.
![Willian celebrates after his goal in the second half put Chelsea into the lead against Barcelona](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/02/20/21/496AAF6300000578-5415007-image-a-34_1519163897207.jpg)
Willian celebrates after his goal in the second half put Chelsea into the lead against Barcelona
![Chelsea boss Antonio Conte showed his raw emotion as Chelsea went ahead on Tuesday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/02/20/21/496AAFAD00000578-5415007-image-a-47_1519163970844.jpg)
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte showed his raw emotion as Chelsea went ahead on Tuesday
Antonio Conte’s counter-attacking set-up was perfectly suited to dealing with Barcelona’s dominance. But what made this performance was how up-for-it his players were.
Conte has not always looked interested this season — he barely left his seat during the defeat at Watford — but he was so fired up on Tuesday night and his players responded, working very hard to make Barca look ordinary.