Chelsea may just depend on Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz for objectives with misfiring Romelu Lukaku rested. The London membership resumed its Champions League name protection by way of cruising to a 2-0 victory over Lille on Tuesday to take keep an eye on of the spherical of 16 matchup heading into subsequent month’s 2d leg.
Relishing an attacking position, Havertz took simplest 8 mins to go Chelsea in entrance by way of assembly Hakim Ziyech’s nook. “We now have a large number of just right strikers, so it is usually just right to have a transformation and no longer make it simple for the opposition,” Havertz stated.
“Lately it labored just right and I revel in each and every ahead place.” The second one within the 63rd minute used to be created by way of the dynamism of N’Golo Kante, who ran part the duration of the pitch unchallenged earlier than feeding Pulisic to complete with a shot clipped into the ground nook.
“When N’Golo is riding like that, it’s only a query of maintaining with him,” Pulisic stated, “and I controlled to do this and end it off.” Kante’s contribution specifically happy Chelsea supervisor Thomas Tuchel. “He’s struggled with trust and depth in contemporary fits so it used to be just right he stepped up lately,” Tuchel stated.
“You’ll be able to see how large an affect he has when he’s in just right form.” The convenience of Chelsea’s victory mirrored their standing this season. Whilst Chelsea is 3rd within the Premier League, Lille is mid-table in its French name protection. “We lacked somewhat high quality within the ultimate ball and that value us,” Lille ahead Jonathan David stated.
Tuchel stated fatigue used to be the cause of leaving out Lukaku, the club-record $135 million offseason signing who touched the ball simplest seven occasions in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. Lukaku didn’t come off the bench in opposition to Lille.
“After the fit the place everybody used to be all for his few touches … it used to be no longer the instant to position him into the following hearth,” Tuchel stated. “It used to be the instant to take a step again, that used to be the verdict and that’s it.
“We now have now had a powerful win and a powerful efficiency. We now have now had a just right win and the entire questions are nonetheless about Romelu, so the focal point is very large.” And it’s more uncomplicated to relaxation Lukaku when there’s some other ahead who value over $90 million so that you can depend on. Havertz, who scored Chelsea’s winner within the Champions League ultimate closing season, additionally scored the purpose that sealed the Membership Global Cup name previous this month.
“He has actually stepped up,” Tuchel stated. “His paintings charge is immense, and the quantity, the spaces of the pitch that he covers for us may be very, superb. He used to be once more decisive, he created probabilities, were given concerned and used to be by no means shy of protecting.
“We performed with an excessively competitive top line with Hakim, with all 3 offensive avid gamers in combination. It used to be the formation to have depth, and a top paintings charge persistently right through the entire fit they usually all did rather well.”
Within the evening’s different first leg, Dusan Vlahovic scored 31 seconds into his Champions League debut as Juventus drew 1-1 at Villarreal, which leveled thru Dani Parejo in the second one part.