Courtois Lives Up To Expectations In Paris

Jose Mourinho conceded his Chelsea side ‘got away with it’ in a 1-1 draw at Paris St Germain in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday and had one man to thank for a flattering result — Thibaut Courtois.
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The Belgium keeper made several brilliant saves, including one to deny PSG’s Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic in added time at the Parc des Princes, to keep his team afloat ahead of the March 11 return leg at Stamford Bridge.
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“The 1-1 reflects one half for Chelsea, one half for Paris but on chances created and goalkeepers’ performances we have to be honest and say they (PSG) were closer to winning the game,” Mourinho told a news conference.
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Courtois, who has forced Petr Cech onto the bench at Chelsea since he returned from a lengthy loan spell at Atletico Madrid, also denied Blaise Matuidi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic early on.
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Asked if the west London club ‘got away with it’ on Tuesday, Mourinho told ITV: “When you see the performance of our goalkeeper you have to say yes. Our keeper made two or three important saves in the game.
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PSG midfielder David Luiz added: “I think that without their keeper, we could have won this game, easy”, while the club’s coach Laurent Blanc said, “We fell on a great keeper, let’s not forget it. He’s very quick on his feet despite his big size.”