Our 4️⃣ points as Chelsea get the job done and Juventus crash out | OneFootball

Chelsea and Villarreal are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but Juventus and Lille are out.

Here are four things we learned from Wednesday’s second leg action …

Pulisic delivers in times of need

Chelsea’s tumultuous preparations for their second leg at Lille were perhaps best exemplified by the fact there was some doubt about whether the team would even be able to travel to northern France for the match.

But travel they did (as did their supporters) and despite suffering a scare when Burak Yılmaz put Lille ahead from the penalty spot, Thomas Tuchel’s side ultimately showed why they’re champions of Europe with an assured performance to finish the job.

The turning point in the second leg was Christian Pulisic’s well-taken goal in first half stoppage time, and after also scoring in the first leg, it feels like we might be witnessing the 23-year-old’s coming of age as a Chelsea player.

Pulisic was once again partnered by Kai Havertz in attack and it’s turning into a winning formula for the Blues which could well lead them, in spite of everything, to more European glory this season.

Another humbling night for Juventus

Despite flattering to deceive domestically this season, Juventus would have fancied their chances when they were drawn against Villarreal in the round of 16.

The Bianconeri seemed primed to finish the job after drawing 1-1 in the first leg, and they made a bright start to the second leg in Turin.

But a clumsy challenge from Daniele Rugani to concede a penalty 12 minutes from time prompted a late capitulation from Max Allegri’s side, and they will be bitterly disappointed to have crashed out at the last 16 stage again.

That’s now Ajax, Lyon, Porto and Villarreal who have knocked Juve out of the Champions League in the last four seasons. There are no easy games at this level, but that’s not good enough for a club of this size and ambition.

The Old Lady is in a state of flux, but worryingly the light at the end of the tunnel is yet to appear.

Emery silences his critics

But what a night it was for Villarreal, who should now be considered this season’s Champions League dark horses.

They had to weather a storm in the first half in Turin but they grew into it as the game wore on and fully deserved their lead in the end.

Credit to Unai Emery, who came in for a lot of criticism during his time in England but has since become the most successful coach in the history of the Europa League and now qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in his career.

And shout-out to Arnaut Danjuma, who won one penalty, scored another and looked lively all night.

Not bad for someone who was playing for Bournemouth in the Championship last season.

Lille’s fairytale comes to an end

It was always going to be a tough ask for Lille to get past Chelsea and they were outclassed over both legs in the end.

But it wasn’t for a lack of trying, and the reigning French champions can be proud of their efforts in the Champions League this season.

Coach Christophe Galtier’s departure to Nice last summer meant defending their title was always highly unlikely, and they’ve been way off the pace in Ligue 1.

But they topped their Champions League group and were unfortunate to then be drawn against one of the strongest teams in the competition in the knockout stages.

It has been a great experience nonetheless, and the likes of Jonathan David, Sven Botman, Jonathan Bamba and even 36-year-old Yılmaz have done their reputations no harm with their performances this season.

Who knows when we might see Les Dogues back in the Champions League, but no doubt they enjoyed the ride while it lasted.