Holders Chelsea ease into quarter-finals with win at Lille thanks to goals from Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta

Chelsea have secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory against Lille at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, giving them a 4-1 win on aggregate. While the build-up to this match was overshadowed by a maelstrom of speculation about potential takeover bids, Chelsea showed little sign of distraction in the early stages. Lille had a couple of dangerous efforts through Burak Yilmaz, one after Jonathan David had won a clever free kick from Andreas Christensen to set him up for a dipping free kick, but otherwise the visitors set the tempo.

Ad/> However suddenly the hosts looked to have found a way back into the tie. Christensen went down injured and was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah, whose first act was to earn a booking for hauling down David on the edge of the area. Champions LeagueAnother woefully trophyless season at Manchester United – The Warm-Up14 HOURS AGO The ensuing free kick caused chaos in the box and, amid the flailing limbs, Lille midfielder Xeka bundled the ball onto Jorginho’s outstretched arm.

Champions League knockout stage Champions League fixtures/results Champions League top scorers Following a VAR check, referee Davide Massa pointed to the spot. Yilmaz stepped up and, despite Edouard Mendy guessing the right way, he rocketed his penalty into the top corner. Just when it seemed like Lille had a fighting chance, however, Chelsea delivered a brutal counterpunch.

On the stroke of half time, Jorginho played a fantastic through-ball to Christian Pulisic who slotted low past Leo Jardim from a tight angle. To their credit, Lille didn’t lose heart. Five minutes into the second half, Jonathan Bamba danced past Marcos Alonso out wide before crossing to Yilmaz who left Mendy scrambling to save a