Match Focus: Chelsea Prove Gap to PSG is Not Too Far to Bridge

If a 2-1 home win is one of the most open-ended and unclear of first-leg final scores, this was a game that made clear precisely where these two sides are. Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are still quite close in quality, but the French side are enjoying a much better season, with their key stars on much better form.

That this first leg at the Parc des Princes only came down to a single moment of supreme quality between two big South American signings probably says much in that regard. It might even have gone against some pre-match predictions, given some expectations that PSG could really do some proper damage to Chelsea.

The reality, however, is that the differences were never as pronounced as their rather freakish league positions suggest. PSG are nowhere near as good in European terms as a ludicrous 24-point lead at the top of the French table would have you believe, and Chelsea are nowhere near as bad as a uniquely chaotic start to the season left them appearing.

Jose Mourinho has gone, a sense of stability has returned, and they probably surprised PSG - and a lot of the public - with the way they dug in and the dynamism of some of their breaks. The fact they were mostly forced onto the counter shows they are still short of the French side's level, though, but that exact level remains somewhat uncertain.

PSG are still in something of a grey area, if one that has fogged up right under a defined ceiling. They have the money to become a top-tier super club along with Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid but not yet the circumstances. Because of the league they're in, they're still struggling to sign that absolute top level of players - and manager - and it is kind of reflected in their play. They still look like they can be better in so many ways, even with the players they've got.

They are obviously good together, and capable of linking up well in separate moves, but there isn't an overall flow against a team of this quality. It said much that, for all the 63.1% possession they had, they didn't create too many clear cut chances. They were frequently reduced to long shots - with eight of 20 coming from outside the box - or individual dribbles (Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura completed five each) as they couldn't quite play their way through. The truth is that is often the case with those fundamentally good teams that don't have that deeper cohesion. It's just always a touch staccato.

It can still greatly be helped by a lucky touch from a fine player's powerful shot, though, as was precisely the case with John Obi Mikel's deflection of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's free-kick. Chelsea know all about both sides of luck in this competition, having seen more extremes of it on either side than many other elite clubs - not least in 2009, and then 2012. Their eventual winning campaign was mentioned a lot in the build-up to this game and, although there were many shades of it, it was still only a partial imitation.

Chelsea were withdrawn without ever needing to be as obviously full-blooded as in that famous second leg against Barcelona. They spent 35% of the game around their own box, but tried to cut out PSG attacks rather than desperately block them, offering 22 interceptions. That did serve to set up some fine counters - but not clinical counters.

The visitors' one Mikel goal came from a set-piece rather than a break, and Guus Hiddink bemoaned their lack of ruthlessness. "We weren't killing in the four or five counters we had." Again, they were still short of that quality they should have.

PSG ultimately killed the game - if not the tie - with the one truly elite move of the night. Where Eden Hazard had underwhelmed, Di Maria and substitute Edinson Cavani eventually excelled. The winning goal was real Champions League latter-stage quality. Despite misplacing 23 passes throughout the game, Di Maria showed why his risk-taking quality is worth persisting with by picking the perfect pass, and Cavani embarrassed both Branislav Ivanovic and Thibaut Courtois with a brilliant run and finish.

Advantage PSG - but not much of an advantage. "I think it's a 50-50 still," Hiddink said. He's almost exactly right. In the history of the Champions League, 51% of teams who claimed a first-leg 2-1 home win have gone through. Can Chelsea add to the other 49%? They have shown they have some durability in defence again, and can really hurt PSG on the break.

The Blues just have to be more focused at the back, and more alert in their finishing - as well using their experience to strike the right balance on how to progress. It was the dilemma that Blanc left hanging after the game - no doubt on purpose: "Like I told my team, the paradox is that playing at home, you might have to be more solid defensively."

Chelsea have to do that again. They have to get that bit closer to PSG's level in order to get past them.

Who do you think will come out on top in the second leg at Stamford Bridge? Let us know in the comments below

Find all of the player ratings and statistics from the first leg at the PSG vs Chelsea Match Centre