CHELSEA 2 vs PSG 0

The Blues beat PSG 2-0 to reach the last four of the Champions League on away goals, and the captain says his manager's preparation gave the hosts the edge at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea captain John Terry has hailed Jose Mourinho's tactics as the Blues progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening.

Laurent Blanc's side won the first leg 3-1, leaving the Stamford Bridge side needing a fine turnaround to progress. Andre Schurrle struck a quarter of an hour after replacing the injured Eden Hazard in the early stages of the game.

With Chelsea needing another goal to go through, Mourinho introduced strikers Demba Ba and Fernando Torres in the second half, and the Senegal striker duly delivered with a late strike to send the Blues into the last four on away goals.

"I thought at 1-0 we always give ourselves a chance," said Terry. "We worked a lot during the week on scenarios; 1-0, 2-0, 3-1. Demba comes on, we've hit the big man and he scores a great goal. Every scenario we had a gameplan and once again we got it right.

"This competition means a lot to us. The manager's been very successful. We've experienced it once and the disappointments over the years as well.

"It keeps you fighting and keeps you believing and that one time winning it, believe me, it's the best feeling ever."

Ba was delighted with his contribution from the bench, he said "It went so quick. I was on the floor then I looked at the goal and I saw the ball was in the net. It was a big joy for everyone.

"First of all I just do what I have to do when I get chances and I didn't have chances this season but I just took it."

Mourinho - who has now won 15 of his 22 Champions League games in charge of Chelsea at the Bridge - insisted that he wasn't celebrating after dashing down the touchline following Ba's late strike.

MOU said "No, not to celebrate. To tell  Torres and  Ba the changes we had to do. Because there was still three minutes plus extra-time and playing the way we were playing was too risky."

The French champions kicked off with a 3-1 lead and were in complete control after 30 minutes but they ended up blowing a glorious chance to prove themselves as a major force

They say the most important thing for the away side in any European tie is to silence the home crowd. Midway through the first half of Tuesday's quarter-final second leg clash between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge, the only voices that could be heard were those of the visiting side's supporters, who were responding to every touch the Ligue 1 champions were enjoying with a hearty 'Ole!'.

It was horribly premature - even without the benefit of hindsight - but it was also understandable. PSG were in complete control. It was almost too easy. There had been no storm to weather. Chelsea saw plenty of the ball in the opening 20 minutes but appeared utterly incapable of doing anything with it. Playing on the front foot looked predictably alien to Jose Mourinho's counterattacking line-up. Furthermore, Eden Hazard had been forced off through injury, thus depriving Chelsea of their most creative and incisive attacking talent.

MATCH FACTS Chelsea 2-0 PSG
Shots  On Target  Possession  Corners  Bookings  Red cards	CHELSEA 16 10 52% 4 4 0	PSG13 6 48% 4 4 0

PSG could hardly believe their luck. They had vowed to attack. Now they did not even have to. Blanc's men were free to do as they pleased in midfield. There was no pressure. So they switched off. But they had lulled themselves into a false sense of security and were deservedly punished for their complacency 32 minutes in when Andre Schurrle suddenly broke the deadlock with an exquisitely executed half-volley from a David Luiz flick-on.

PSG were rattled, instantly incapable of dealing with set-pieces. Gary Cahill fluffed a glorious chance to give Chelsea the edge in the tie when the ball dropped for him in the area after coming off the back of Edinson Cavani. Just moments before half-time, the latter was booked for failing to step away from a David Luiz free kick. In the space of 15 minutes, PSG had lost all control and composure. They never regained either.

Thiago Silva did his best to rally the troops with a spirited pep talk during a huddle just before the start of the second half, but the fear had taken hold. PSG dropped deeper and deeper. Blanc realised that this was no longer a game for a deep-lying playmaker like Marco Verratti, so the youngster was replaced by Yohan Cabaye, who, it was hoped, would drag his side forward.

But PSG had taken too many backward steps. It was too late to try to take the game to Chelsea. They did have one excellent chance to kill the tie when Cavani took a wonderful pass from Cabaye in his stride but the €64.5 million euro man blazed over the bar.

For the most part, though, it was all about survival for PSG. They were fortunate enough to see the bar twice come to their rescue, with Schurrle and Oscar both striking the woodwork. But their luck finally, and justly, ran out with three minutes remaining when Demba Ba bundled the ball home from close range.

It was an ugly goal but this was an even uglier defeat for PSG. This was the big test of their Champions League-winning credentials and not only did they fail it, they did so in meek fashion, paying the price for their complacency and utter inability to respond positively to adversity, either tactically or mentally.

As midfielder Thiago Motta admitted afterwards: "We got here by playing in a certain way, with a certain style of play, but tonight we were not able to do it."

Having steered the Blues into the last four of Europe's elite club competition at the expense of his boyhood team, the former Newcastle man responded to his manager's criticism

Demba Ba has taken a veiled swipe at manager Jose Mourinho by insisting Chelsea can count on "three great strikers" this season.

The former Newcastle forward came off the bench to score a decisive 87th-minute goal at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening as the Blues booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain.

Mourinho has grown steadily bolder in the public condemnation of his strikers and last month Goal reported Chelsea have taken the first steps towards signing Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa this summer.

But after he had steered his club into the last four of Europe's elite club competition, Ba reiterated that he, Samuel Eto'o and Fernando Torres would all be in demand if they left Stamford Bridge.

There was no small irony in the fact that Ba, a boyhood PSG fan, scored the goal which knocked the Ligue 1 champions out and the former Newcastle man added: “I’m happy, I’m happy to have liberated us. I haven’t been given my chance much this season and I’ve taken it.

“It’s the first time I’ve wished PSG to lose and it’s me who scores the goal, luckily for Chelsea.

“I’m happy for Chelsea but it’s hard to see them lose, especially with one of my best friends, Yohan Cabaye, on the other side.

“Eden Hazard kept telling me all day, ‘It’s your time tonight, it’s your time tonight.’ I was a bit scared for the Parisians because after the third goal in Paris everyone thought PSG were in the semi-final.

“Even my younger brothers kept telling me this, and then when Eden went off the PSG fans already thought they were in the semi-finals. When Eden came off we heard them singing ‘We’re in the semi-finals’.”