COMMENT: Despite having their star striker dismissed and with the odds against them Laurent Blanc's side galvanised spectacularly to provide a truly memorable triumph
It had the look of a classic Jose Mourinho shake down. His centre back pops up with a goal nine minutes from time and progress to the Champions League quarter-finals looks all but assured. It had not been pretty but it had been pretty effective. There was hostility, there was violence. Nonetheless, Gary Cahill's goal ought to have done the trick. Had Chelsea been the better team? No. And that despite the fact that Paris Saint-Germain lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic to an early red card.
There were 10 weary PSG players in front of Chelsea's 11, but somehow they found the gumption, the fortitude that could not only be the making of this team but this club. It feels like the type of landmark win for PSG to catapult them, finally, among the elite of European football.
Investment from the Qataris has only come recently. Until now, their progress insignificant. They have suffered many of the same problems experienced by Manchester City.
There was, however, more than millions of euros worth of talent on the Stamford Bridge turf in red on the night. There was team-work. They have been through the war together now and will reflect on what happened in London as a unifying moment.
"It was amazing tonight," said David Luiz to Sky Sports. "The spirit; every single player gave everything. They scored first, and then everyone looks at each other, looks in their eyes and says: 'You can do it, let's believe until the end'."
They did it without their commander. Ibrahimovic was dismissed and can feel aggrieved for it. Bjorn Kuipers got plenty wrong on the night but that decision looked to be the one to swing it. PSG had a right to feel downtrodden. They had a right to accept their fate, especially when Edinson Cavani, for the second season in a row, missed a crucial chance for an away goal at the Bridge.
The handball given against Thiago Silva was correct and surely, even with Chelsea playing only passably, Eden Hazard's penalty would have been enough. Nothing of it. PSG were outstanding and did not miss a beat without the imposing Swede who has yet to truly make his mark on this competition at the age of 33. They played more efficiently with their 10 than Chelsea did with 11.
There were intricate movements around the box. Clear-cut chances were carved out. Javier Pastore, the odd lofted aberration aside, had control of the game while Thiago Motta dictated the tempo. "When you lose Ibra, the best player on our team, you say 'let's keep it simple, play the ball to feet, possession of the ball, try to create opportunities because we need to score to qualify'," said Luiz.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were out of energy; out of ideas. Jose Mourinho joked in the run-up to this match that his side's training session on Saturday had been "harder" that PSG's 4-1 win over Lens. If that indeed was the case, it showed. Chelsea flagged late on. They were denied their win in 90 minutes by the immutable law of the ex. Luiz followed Danny Welbeck and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar with a big, damaging goal on the ground he used to walk. It was a smashing header, Thiago Silva's to seal the result even better.
PSG afforded themselves a breath at the final whistle. There was intensity and concentration in all they did before that. Had Chelsea won it would have been undeserved. Football seldom is a meritocracy and it looked to be going that way again. Diego Costa stayed on when he should not have been allowed to continue. He almost conjured the decisive goal seconds after.
PSG clung in though to deliver to Laurent Blanc a result that many thought beyond him. This will be the catalyst for PSG in a season that too often has been staccato. There will be better nights of football; three central defenders were on the scoresheet from set pieces, one all-star centre forward was sent off, while the other should have been. As spectacles go, it was forgettable. But this night could be the making of Paris Saint-Germain.
