Chelsea get clean sheet they craved against Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid 0 Chelsea 0

There is no point in dressing it up as something it was not. At this rarefied level, it was unusual to see such a lack of vibrant football, or so many occasions when passes were misplaced and two sides played with so little penetration. The setting was wonderful, in one of Madrid's great venues, with the Almudena cathedral as the backdrop. The din was as good as it gets in Spain. It is just a shame the two sides produced such a stodgy game for the size of the occasion.

Chelsea, however, will not be too concerned if this draw is added to the list of games that is used to knock Jose Mourinho’s ploys of conservatism. Nobody should be greatly surprised by their spoiling tactics and there is something to be said, once again, for their competitive courage.

Petr Cech was forced off after 18 minutes amid suggestions of a dislocated shoulder, and John Terry followed in the second half after Diego Costa trod on his foot. Yet Chelsea never wilted. Mark Schwarzer coped ably as Cech's replacement and Mourinho is entitled to feel they are in a reasonable position for the second leg at Stamford Bridge, albeit with diminishing numbers.

Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel both picked up yellow cards to mean they will be suspended. Lampard was fortunate not to be sent off after a deliberate handball later on, and Gabi, the Atlético midfielder, was booked as tempers on both sides flared, meaning he will also not be involved.

Atletico had dominated the match without giving the impression that they would ever score, and Mourinho’s tactics made it clear that he wanted to avoid a repeat of what had happened in the previous round against Paris St-Germain at Parc des Princes.

The Calderon might not have the same gravitas as the Bernabeu or Camp Nou, but the acoustics are better and Diego Simeone's team, sitting defiantly at the top of La Liga, had the backing of a passionate and partisan crowd.

The stadium was a kaleidoscope of colour, with huge banners tumbling down from the vertiginous stands, and the acclaim that Fernando Torres received on his homecoming quickly made way for something far more spiteful when the Frente Atletico turned their attentions to Mourinho.

Yet Chelsea have silenced opposition crowds in Barcelona, Munich and Istanbul in the past few years and their system, flooding midfield and breaking only sporadically on the counter-attack, succeeded for long spells in keeping the volume down.

It was a method designed to smother, with Fernando Torres often an isolated figure, but Chelsea have great qualities of structure and organisation and they are entitled to play to their strengths at a time when Mourinho is fairly open about how much he distrusts their ability to pinch a goal. Chelsea, on nights like these, are not an entertaining team but, in mitigation, they were missing Eden Hazard and Torres would not have played had Samuel Eto'o been fit. They might not satisfy the purists, but these are the tactics, roughly speaking, that have Chelsea trying to reach their third European final in successive seasons.

They also had to contend with the considerable setback of Petr Cech's early departure, meaning Schwarzer took Edwin van der Sar's record as the oldest player ever to feature in the Champions League, at 41 years and 198 days.

Cech was hurt as he jumped to turn a corner over his crossbar. Raul Garcia was following in, and David Luiz's push sent him clattering into Cech as he was in mid-air. The fall was thudding and spectacular, and Cech quickly signalled that he was unable to continue, needing extensive treatment in the goalmouth before being led off with a blanket around his shoulders.

Atletico must have been encouraged by the sight of a largely forgotten veteran in the opposition goal, but Chelsea's defence did a good job of protecting Schwarzer for the remainder of the first half. Ashley Cole did not look like a man who has been marginalised for so long this season, and a considerable bit of John Terry's thou-shall-not-pass mentality has rubbed off on Gary Cahill. César Azpilicueta's block, as Diego Costa was shaping to shoot, was typical of the way Chelsea set about the opening 45 minutes.

What they did not possess was a cutting edge in attack. Atlético’s fans could be forgiven for wondering when, or where, Torres lost his sureness of touch, but in fairness to the striker he was deprived of service for considerable periods. Willian and Ramires had the energy and pace to join him at times, but this is not a front three to terrorise opponents at this level.

Mostly, it was a 4-1-4-1 formation, with the midfielders not advancing too far away from their own penalty area. Frank Lampard's 20-yard effort, two minutes into the second half, was their first shot on target, albeit straight into the arms of Thibault Courtois.

Torres did the same just before the hour, but Chelsea were hardly throwing everything into seeing if their on-loan goalkeeper might have been affected by the fuss surrounding his involvement. The game seemed to be caught in its own torpor and, at this level, it is not often that a player tries a long throw-in, as Azpilicueta did at one point, only to mess it up completely.