Antonio Conte has insisted that Chelsea "have no regrets" from their Champions League last-16 tie against Barcelona despite being eliminated from the competition by a 4-1 aggregate scoreline.
Lionel Messi scored a brace and assisted an Ousmane Dembele strike as the Blues were hammered 3-0 in Wednesday night's second leg at Camp Nou.
Conte acknowledged that the Argentine is a "super top player" who "made the difference" in the tie but also praised his players for their commitment in seeking an unlikely victory.
"Tonight, and in the two legs, Lionel Messi made the difference," the Italian told BT Sport. "We are talking about the best player in the world. Over the two legs we were a bit unlucky. We hit the post four times. In our best moment today they scored.
"They were very clinical. We created many chances. We are talking about a player (Messi) that every season scores 60 goals. We are talking not about a top player but a super top player. He made the difference.
"We have no regrets. I must be pleased for the commitment. They gave everything tonight. We didn't deserve to lose 3-0. We have to go and move on and to prepare for the game against Leicester on Sunday."
Should Chelsea lose in their FA Cup quarter-final trip to the King Power Stadium, the Blues will end the campaign without a trophy for the second time in three seasons.
No Data Analysis info