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HIT - Karim Benzema | Real Madrid
Unsurprisingly, Karim Benzema was Real Madrid's standout player on the night, as has been the case so often this season. The Frenchman worked tirelessly even as Chelsea dominated proceedings in the first half, as he led the press from the front and attempted to make things happen.
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His thunderous left-footed drive from outside the penalty area clipped the edge of the post, as the ball flew past the despairing dive of Edouard Mendy. Moments later, he did get his name on the scoresheet, as he controlled the ball expertly with his head and lashed a venomous volley into the roof of the net to restore parity.
Even as the game fizzled out, Benzema was full of running and looked to add to his tally, as he produced Real Madrid's only shot on target of the night with his goal.
Flop - Timo Werner | Chelsea
Much has been said about Timo Werner's struggles in front of goal this season, with the German international delivering a series of underwhelming performances since his move from RB Leipzig. Despite his poor form, he was rewarded for his winning goal against West Ham United at the weekend with a start against Real Madrid, as he led the line for Chelsea away from home.
However, he failed to vindicate Tuchel's trust in him, as he fluffed a gilt-edged opportunity to break the deadlock in the first half. Werner found himself in space inside the penalty area but somehow failed to make the net bulge, as Courtois thwarted his effort from point-blank range.
He never really recovered from his disastrous miss and was withdrawn after the 60th-minute mark in favor of fellow new signing Kai Havertz.
HIT - Christian Pulisic | Chelsea
Christian Pulisic was chosen to lead the line alongside Timo Werner, with Mason Mount playing in an advanced midfield position behind the two attackers. The American winger repaid Tuchel's faith in him with a well-taken goal in the first half to open the scoring on the night, as he calmly put the ball into the back of the net after sidestepping Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Los Blancos struggled to deal with his pace and energy, as the home side had no choice but to bring him down on a few occasions at the cost of a few cheap free-kicks in dangerous areas. Pulisic's pace and dribbling ability was on show particularly in the first half, as he proved to be Chelsea's best attacker on the night.
He was withdrawn with just under 30 minutes left on the clock, as Tuchel opted to freshen things up by introducing Hakim Ziyech for the last quarter of the game.
Also Read: Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City: 5 players to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
