Chealsea 1- 0 Atletico: The Blues Were Right To Replace Lampard With Tuchel After Win Over Spanish League Leader

The Blues have been transformed into a solid, well-drilled unit in under a month, and they passed their toughest test yet by out-thinking and outplaying Diego Simeone's Spanish league leaders, Atletico, as they failed to register a single shot on target in Bucharest. 

Chelsea's 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 first leg in Bucharest confirms that the Londoners were right to sack Frank Lampard as manager and replace him with Thomas Tuchel.

"We never let them breathe. We never gave them any chances to counterattack," Tuchel told BT Sport afterwards.

There's still a second leg to come, of course, but Olivier Giroud's stunning overhead kick has put Chelsea in an excellent position to reach the quarter-finals. 

The former Arsenal forward started the game was something of a surprise, had been left out of four of Tuchel's eight previous line-ups, but Giroud once again proved that he is a man for the big occasion. 

 The 34-year-old goal in Romania also means he now has 18 in Europe for Chelsea, which puts him behind only Blues legends Didier Drogba and Lampard on the club's list of all-time leading scorers in continental competitions. 

While Giroud dominates the headlines for his acrobatic winner, Tuchel deserves most of the credit for this victory.

Tuchel's decision to switch to a 3-4-1-2 formation has proven key and even Rojiblancos boss Simeone was full of praise beforehand for the impact his Chelsea counterpart has had in such a short time at Stamford Bridge.

The players are certainly happy with the fact that they are all getting chances to impress, while the board must be immensely satisfied with the fact that the new manager has propelled Chelsea back into contention for a top-four finish and now put them a positive result away from the last eight of the Champions League.

Getting them firing is imperative, of course, as the next few weeks are massive for Chelsea, who face Manchester United and Liverpool to come in the league before taking on Sheffield United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Chelsea still hold huge expectations after investing £220 million ($275m) in the summer and they want a turbulent season to end in success.

They could well get their wish, though, as Tuesday's fully deserved win over Atleti underlined. Giroud's finish was spectacular, but Chelsea's Tuchel-inspired solidity was even more impressive – and far more significant.