Chelsea became the first defending Champions League champions to be eliminated in the group stages despite a 6-1 thrashing of FC Nordsjaelland this evening.
The Blues went into the match knowing that qualification was still a possibility but was out of their hands, as they needed Juventus to lose to Shakhtar Donetsk to stand any chance of progressing.
However, a 1-0 win for the Italian giants meant that Rafael Benitez's first win in charge of Chelsea was, ultimately, meaningless.
Here, Sports Mole dissects what was a bittersweet night for Benitez and his players.
Match statistics:
Chelsea:
Shots 28
On target 21
Possession 64%
Corners 13
Fouls 6
Nordsjaelland:
Shots 7
On target 6
Possession 36%
Corners 1
Fouls 12
Was the result fair?
Most certainly. Chelsea dominated from start to finish and it could have been a lot more than six for Rafa Benitez's men. Nordsjaelland shocked the Blues on two occasions, with the penalty and the equalising goal, but they were two rare highlights for the Danish champions.
Chelsea's performance
Very strong. Yes, they were playing a weak team with nothing to play for, but you can only beat the team that is put in front of you and Chelsea did so in emphatic style. They were very fast out of the blocks and could have broken the deadlock long before they actually did, but the fact that a five-goal winning margin doesn't flatter them tells you all you need to know about the performance.
Nordsjaelland's performance
Not much was expected of the Danish side so, on that basis, they may not be too disappointed with the performance. Yes, Chelsea were on top for the vast majority of the game, but Nordsjaelland would have expected that before the match. They created two great chances in the game, one of which provided their solitary goal, and that was all they really could have hoped for. However, they were never in danger of winning and were totally outplayed so, on that basis, you can't say it was a good performance from the Danes.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Fernando Torres: The Spaniard has taken a lot of criticism for his performances througout his Chelsea career and his latest was still short of his brilliant best, but he still provided two goals and an assist, as well as terrorising the Nordsjaelland defence throughout. He perhaps could have and should have scored more than two - once again his finishing was less than stellar at times - but he looked lively throughout. Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses all deserve a mention for their contributions, as does Nordsjaelland keeper Jesper Hansen who, despite conceding six goals, made a number of good saves.
Biggest gaffe
This may tread on the toes of the next category but the referee has to take this 'award'. Take your pick of which one to choose, though. Nordsjaelland's penalty was given for a handball which occurred outside of the box while Chelsea's second was also a harsh one as the ball hit a defender's hand while he was a matter of yards away and not looking at the ball.
Referee performance
Poor. At times he looked like he didn't know what to do. The time spent deciding on the first two penalty decision suggested that he wasn't 100% sure of either one and, while the second was a correct decision, the first was outside the box. The game's third penalty was also harsh, while the ref also pulled back Chelsea for a foul when Moses was in a good position, although the fact that they scored from the resulting free kick will mean that you won't hear many complaints from the Chelsea camp on that one.
What next?
Chelsea: Rafael Benitez will turn his side's attention back to domestic matters as they look to win a league game for the first time in eight away to Sunderland on Saturday.
Nordsjaelland: Nordsjaelland face a top-of-the-table clash against FC Copenhagen on Sunday. The two teams currently occupy the league's top two spots, but Copenhagen are nine points clear of the defending champions.
Barney Corkhill
