Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante has earned a reputation as one of Europe's finest midfielders and he was given his biggest test to date on Tuesday night.The 26-year-old Frenchman faced Leo Messi for the first time in his career in a mouth-watering Champions League first leg knockout clash.Willian put the hosts in front with a brilliant finish from outside the box before Messi took advantage of a defensive lapse in concentration to secure a 1-1 draw for the Catalan giants.Antonio Conte got his tactics spot on and Chelsea did a magnificent job of stifling Barcelona's attack - until Andreas Christensen's misplaced pass in the 75th minute."We were very close to playing the perfect game," said Conte in his post-match press conference."I think we paid dearly for one mistake. But, as you know very well, against this opponent, this type of player like Messi, Iniesta, Suarez... if you make a mistake, you pay."It's a pity because I think, tonight, at the end of the game we are disappointed with the final result. But, at the same time, this game must give us a lot of confidence to trust that, in the second leg, qualification is open."

What Chelsea fans were saying about Kante

Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets produced an effortlessly world class performance at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea fans were all keen to heap praise on their defensive midfielder.

Signed from Leicester City in 2016, Kante has won Premier League titles back-to-back and it's not hard to see why.

Check out what Chelsea fans were saying about Kante following his masterclass against Messi & co.

It's hard to argue with them. Kante was everywhere on Tuesday night!

Kante's individual highlights v Barcelona

Some rival fans suggested Kante was outclassed by the Barcelona midfield at Stamford Bridge - but his individual highlights prove them wrong.

Any budding young midfielder should watch this video and take notes.

He's nothing short of world class and it's no wonder the Chelsea fans rate him quite so highly.