Chelsea pulled off a miracle at the Camp Nou six years ago but were unable to repeat the feat against Barcelona this evening.Antonio Conte’s side needed to score to give themselves any chance of progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals following last month’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge but went a goal down after just three minutes when Lionel Messi found the back of the net from an acute angle.Chelsea were then left with a mountain to climb midway through the first half when Messi teed-up Ousmane Dembele for his first Champions League goal.Messi, who produced a typically mesmeric performance, then made it game over in the 63rd minute with his second of the night.This was the Argentine legend’s 100th Champions League goal.Chelsea fans could have few complaints with the efforts of their players; they were just beaten by a superior team.
Chelsea fans are angry with one player
However, there is one member of the Chelsea team who has received fierce criticism from supporters on social media for his disappointing performance.
Thibaut Courtois, who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, had a nightmare against the Catalan giants.
He was nutmegged by Messi for the first goal…
He arguably should have done better for Dembele’s goal…
And he was nutmegged by Messi again in the second half…
You’d expect better on all three goals for a keeper of his calibre.
Chelsea fans react to Courtois' performance
Chelsea fans are incensed by his below-par performance - and some of them don’t even care if he’s sold in the summer…
Could Chelsea get a better keeper than Courtois?
You can certainly understand their frustration but could Chelsea realistically sign a better goalkeeper than Courtois?
There’s a reason why the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid want the Belgian shot-stopper.
On form there are few better keepers on the planet, as he demonstrated with that excellent save from Paulinho during the closing stages of the match.
Should Chelsea sell Thibaut Courtois? Have your say by leaving a comment below.