"We have achieved our objective, which was to take the lead, but we need a complete game like the one we played," said the Italian coach after the match at the Bernabeu.
It was a game in which they struggled at the start, but they recovered with a scoreline that seemed to come up short after Chelsea played with one man down for more than half an hour.
"You might think that with ten men you could push a bit more, but with eleven against 11 we put a lot of energy into winning the ball back up top. At the end we lacked a bit of energy and clarity. We are satisfied and we think that there are 90 minutes left to repeat this game at Stamford Bridge. It's not over yet, we have to suffer, fight and fight".
Despite the warning, he sees his side more than ready to return to excellent form. "To be in the semi-final we need a complete game like we did today. We are ready."
Valverde 'the best' for Ancelotti
Although the MVP went to Vinicius Junior, and Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio take the headlines for their goals, for the Real Madrid coach the best on the pitch was Federico Valverde. A public show of support after his aggression towards Álex Baena.
"He was the best on the pitch, he put a lot of energy into it, he was very attentive in position and the defensive aspect, with (Toni) Kroos, they handled it very well."
Praise that went to other players in question, such as Dani Carvajal."In the important games he doesn't fail." Or Asensio, a luxury substitute. "Every game he plays, he scores. He is decisive, at any moment he gives you an advantage with goals or assists".