Antonio Conte Rues Mistake, Fabregas Says Chelsea Have to Attack at Barcelona

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said his side "made only one mistake" during their 1-1 UEFA Champions League draw with Barcelona on Tuesday, while Cesc Fabregas believes the Blues must attack in the second leg at the Camp Nou after likening parking the bus in defence to a "suicide mission." 

Conte's side took the lead through a Willian strike in the 62nd minute, but Barcelona capitalised on a mistake from Andreas Christensen to equalise and grab a precious away goal 13 minutes later. Andres Iniesta pounced on a loose ball from the defender and fed Lionel Messi, who slotted past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

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The Chelsea boss said it was a close game, but his team were made to pay for their error, per Alex Richards at the Mirror: 

"I think that it was very close, we made only one mistake. As you know very well, when you make a mistake against Barcelona—the best players like Messi, [Luis] Suarez and [Andres] Iniesta—you pay [for it].

"It's a pity because I'm very proud of the players for the game and they followed what we prepared and planned. I also think tonight we were a bit unlucky—maybe we deserved a bit more.

"I think in the second leg, we have to play our game against Barcelona. This team is very strong—a fantastic team—but I think the final result is open.

"It will be very difficult because it's not simple to play away against them but at the same time I think our performance must give us confidence."

Despite his mistake, Christensen was one of Chelsea's better performers on the night, per freelance journalist Dan Levene:

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a superb season with Chelsea, forcing his way into the team to become a regular starter, but Barcelona were ruthless in the way they exploited his error.

The Catalan giants had struggled to break down an organised and compact home defence, but the away goal and home advantage in the second leg will make them favourites to progress.

Fabregas said Chelsea must not defend in the second leg. He told BT Sport (h/t Richards): "It's still open, but we know we have to play a very excellent game again to compete. [To play] 90 minutes there, defending, can be a very long 90 minutes—it's basically a suicide mission. We have to feel that we can hurt them."

Chelsea could have scored more goals at Stamford Bridge, but Willian was twice denied by the post.

Conte opted to play without a natural striker, starting with Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata on the bench and a front three of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian. The Evening Standard's Simon Johnson said he got his tactics right:

Despite an impressive performance from the Blues, they were undone by Christensen's mistake and face a tough task to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition. Barcelona possess an excellent home record and an away goal, leaving Chelsea with no room for error on March 14 if they are to progress.