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It was the first ever Champions League game at the Wanda Metropolitano and the atmosphere was electric. However, to the disappointment of the Atletico Madrid fans, their team could not pull off a win against Chelsea.
Antonie Griezmann gave Atletico Madrid the lead in the first half before Alvaro Morata equalized at the hour mark. Michy Batshuayi scored with the last touch of the game to win the game for Chelsea.
Here are the talking points from the game:
#5 - Clumsy David Luiz almost costs Chelsea
Last season, David Luiz was one of the most composed defenders. This time around, he's back to his old self. The Brazilian has had a tough start to the season and needs to get his mindset right again.
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Chelsea were in complete control of the game and were not letting Atletico Madrid have a go at the goal. That's when David Luiz decided to step in and help them.
An unnecessary pull of Lucas Hernandez's shirt in the box when a corner was taken led to the referee giving the hosts a penalty and Griezmann calmly converted it.
With Christensen waiting on the wings to take his spot in the starting XI, it won't be long before Conte prefers playing the Danish international ahead of Luiz.
#4 - Greizmann fails to impress
Antonie Griezmann might have scored the only goal for Atletico Madrid last night but he was far from impressive. He was 'missing' in the game until the penalty was awarded to the hosts and was kept quiet by David Luiz with ease.
After that, Griezmann has one cameo appearance in the game when he along with Saul Niguez, Koke and Angel Correa threatened to score right at the very end of the first half. They combined so well that it left the Chelsea defence mesmerized and despite Courtois saving Niguez's shot, Koke could have converted it but failed to slot the ball in the open goal.
Greizmann wants to play for Manchester United but if this is the kind of performances he produces in big games, Jose Mourinho would not be making a move for him. The Red Devils are already linked with a move for Paulo Dybala and it won't be a surprise if they make a move for the Argentine over the Frenchman.
#3 - Eden Hazard is back to his best!
The main man behind Chelsea dominating the game at Wanda Metropolitano last night was Eden Hazard. The Belgian showed all his class and was unstoppable.
He kept dribbling past one of the toughest defences in the world with ease and was creating chance after chance for Alvaro Morata. He finally managed to get an assist when the Spanish striker nodded in from Hazard's inch-perfect cross.
The main man to be credited for Hazard playing so well right now has to be Antonio Conte. Any other manager would have played Hazard regularly as soon as he was declared fit. But the Italian kept him on the bench and did not rush him.
#2 - Atletico Madrid need Diego Costa
January can't come soon enough for Atletico Madrid and Diego Costa. The player will not be able to play until he is registered and that can only be done on January 1st.
If the Spanish side had Costa in their team last night that could have won the game. Griezmann and Correa were not able to bully the Chelsea defenders off the ball and that is something the former Chelsea striker is very good at.
Should Chelsea and Atletico Madrid face each other once again in the competition (after group stage), it would be interesting to see how much the tactics would change. Atletico Madrid might be the ones attacking next time with Chelsea playing deep.
#1 - Tactical Masterclass
The easiest way to describe last night's match would be to call it a tactical masterclass. Both the managers got their tactics spot on and it was a very interesting watch for the neutral.
In the first half, when Chelsea were dominating, Diego Simeone switched from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 and that gave Chelsea some headache. Correa and Carrasco were getting in behind the Chelsea full-backs with ease and that got them their best chance of the game but Koke failed to convert.
Antonio Conte responded by changing Cesc Fabregas' position. He made the Spaniard play behind Kante and Bakayoko and it worked like a charm. Chelsea equalised and as soon as that happened, Cesc was made to pay in his normal position again and Chelsea were in cruise control.
