Chelsea won the first leg 1-0 and were 2-0 winners in the second leg, with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri sealing a massive win for Chelsea.

However, 8 minutes before Ziyech’s goal, there was a major contention, as Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta seemed to have brought down Yannick Carrasco in the penalty box, which the referee waved away and VAR made no calls for him to check the incident.

A penalty would have changed the dynamics of the game, but Simeone chose not to talk about that and rather praised Chelsea for being the better side.

“In the tie they were fair winners,” Simeone said to Diario AS. “The first game was even and today they were superior. We tried to pressure them high and make it difficult for them to get out, but they went ahead again.”

“I’m not looking for excuses,” he said when asked about the arguable penalty on Carrasco. “They were better. When the rival is better, you have to congratulate and reset yourself to think about La Liga again