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#3 Chelsea's new-found defensive steel under Thomas Tuchel continues
Under Thomas Tuchel's management, Chelsea have become one of the most compact sides in England and are notoriously difficult to break down.
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He has achieved this by forging a well-drilled outfit that maintains its shape at all times. This has been aided massively by his deployment of three central defenders.
The mostly static center-backs are complemented by marauding full-backs who are often on hand to thwart opposition attacks down the flank. Despite losing some of their fluidity in attack, Chelsea's defense is arguably the most compact in Europe at the moment.
In 13 matches under Tuchel in all competitions, Chelsea have conceded just three goals despite coming up against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
They have also kept a clean sheet in all six home games they have played under the German tactician, with the previously maligned Antonio Rudiger proving to be a hit under his compatriot.
#2 Luis Suarez has a night to forget
Luis Suarez has been the driving force behind Atletico Madrid's title charge in Spain, with his 18 goals and two assists from 24 league games propelling the Wanda Metropolitano outfit to the summit.
However, it has been a different case on the continent for the Uruguay international, which was a major criticism in his final years at Barcelona.
The 34-year-old failed to make a mark during his 59 minutes against Chelsea. The one opportunity he had to run at the hosts' defense saw Rudiger checkmate him in his stride, leading to a faint appeal for a penalty.
The frustration on his face when Simeone hauled him off just before the hour mark was evident for all to see. However, a case can be made that Suarez did not get the adequate service he needed.
Nevertheless, his blank at Stamford Bridge meant that the Uruguay international failed to score in any of his six Champions League games this season, which is far from ideal for a striker of his standing.
#1 Could this be the launching pad for Hakim Ziyech's Chelsea career?
Big things were expected from Hakim Ziyech when he joined Chelsea from Ajax. Despite arriving injured, he showed enough promise when he regained fitness before another injury halted his progress.
The change in management has hardly helped Ziyech's case, considering that Tuchel's system does not have a need for wide attackers.
The absence of Mason Mount through suspension saw Ziyech occupy the 'hole' behind Timo Werner alongside Kai Havertz.
This is not his ideal position, but the Moroccan's trickery and technique can also be exploited in the middle of the park, which is what happened against Atletico Madrid.
The 27-year-old constantly found himself in good positions and was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring for Chelsea.
Despite not being his best finish, it was still enough to give the hosts a crucial lead. Remarkably, this was Ziyech's first goal for the club since scoring against Burnley on 31 October 2020.
Having taken his chance, the former Heerenveen man will now be hoping to get an extended run of playing time under Tuchel.
Chelsea fans were right to expect big things from Ziyech, and this crucial goal against one of the biggest sides in the world will do his confidence a lot of good.
