LUIS SUAREZ sneakily pinched Antonio Rudiger’s thigh as the Atletico Madrid striker pulled all his old tricks in defeat to Chelsea.
The Blues head into the last 16 second leg with a crucial away goal after veteran striker Olivier Giroud scored a stunning bicycle kick.
Suarez really move from biting to pinching , this man
pic.twitter.com/R9gnmrdaXo
— Ashara (@xd_Ashara) February 23, 2021
But for his opposite number, it was a more frustrating night, with Atletico not managing a single shot on target.
And it appeared to get on top of Suarez, who was captured pinching Rudiger, causing the German to square up to the forward.
Suarez will not only be remembered by Chelsea fans for his prolific scoring for Liverpool, but also for his bite on Branislav Ivanovic in 2013.
And he was in another menacing mood against the Blues as he tried to provoke captain Cesar Azpilicueta – who was on the field with Ivanovic all those years ago.
Suarez flicked his leg out at the Spaniard but still went down looking for a free-kick.
Just moments later, he clattered into Callum Hudson-Odoi, which was adjudged as a foul.
Chelsea legend Joe Cole referenced Suarez’s infamous bite and cheeky pinch on Rudiger.
BT Sport pundit Cole said: Joe Cole: “When you’re telling off your kids and they go from biting to pinching, you’re doing alright.”
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Rio Ferdinand added: “The referee is never going to see that. He’s a street fighter.”
Giroud’s acrobatic effort is all that separates the sides going into the return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 17.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said: “Fantastic result, fantastic goal. Well deserved.
“We wanted to dominate in the opponents’ half, to never lose concentration, not to do any easy mistakes and always be aware of quick counter-attacks for all their quality.
“It was a very disciplined performance – a deserved shut-out. This is the hard work, a team effort – the basis for a big win.
“We knew it [Atletico packing their defence] could happen. We told the guys if it happens maybe it’s our quality and the respect.
“I wanted them to be brave and play in their half. We knew they were ready to suffer with eight people in the box.
“The intention was to keep the intensity high. This is what we did very good. We never let them breathe or come out for counter-attacks.
“We have a big reward with this result. This is one of the toughest challenges to open a defence like Atletico.”
