Chelsea showed that they could succeed in the absence of Romelu Lukaku.
Kai Havertz scored after replacing Lukaku, who has sacked Belgium forward in their 2-0 Champions League last-16, first-leg victory over Lille at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s team took charge of the game thanks to Havertz’s goal in the first half and Christian Pulisic’s goal-scoring final goal following an interval in the first half at Stamford Bridge.
The holders are expected to make it into the quarter-finals by travelling to France in the next match on the 16th of March.
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The club’s sixth straight victory in all competitions was more of a review of their Lukaku dilemma rather than a sign of their odds of winning the trophy.
Lukaku has scored only 10 goals in the span of a record-breaking $ 97 million ($131 million) transfer to Inter Milan last year that was expected to begin an era of supremacy for Chelsea.
The ball was touched only seven times during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, the lowest amount of touches for any Premier League player since 2003-04.
Even though he was enraged during December over Lukaku’s criticism about how Lukaku was treated, Tuchel appeared to be backing Lukaku on Monday, insisting that his issues were not a joke.
However, Chelsea was more powerful when Lukaku was not there.
It is yet to be determined whether Tuchel will trust his struggling player in the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
At the very least, Tuchel knows that Chelsea can take on opponents while their supposed leader works.
“For Kai, I’m very satisfied. Kai has been extremely strong over the last few weeks. He has improved. The efficiency is amazing. The field he covers is excellent. He’s not afraid of protecting,” Tuchel said.
Romelu was struggling in the final game to produce. Not just mentally exhausted and physically exhausted, but I can comprehend. It was time to step back.
“Today, we went out with other players. We have until Sunday to are given four days in which to rest and determine who plays.”
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi were paraded in their way through the Club World Cup around the pitch before kick-off.
However, that win at Abu Dhabi will be only an incident in the narrative of Chelsea’s season if they fail to achieve a successful conclusion to a shaky campaign.
It was a significant step in the right direction, and Havertz did not take long to join in.
Forceful Havertz
Cesar Azpilicueta’s low ball was screaming to be finished off; however, the German forward managed to poke his shot over the bar from just six yards.
If that were the case for Tuchel, He would have been pleased that Havertz appeared more dangerous as he made his way inside to strike that Leo Jardim pushed away at full force.
With the resultant corner, Havertz scored Chelsea an 8th-minute lead.
Utilizing Lille’s poor scoring, Havertz met Hakim Ziyech’s corner with a downward-facing header which flew into his seventh goal of the campaign.
Havertz, More forceful and more energetic than Lukaku in his current form, only needed 15 minutes to score more points than Lukaku did. Belgian could have done it throughout the Palace game.
After a brief moment, stage-fright French champions threw themselves into the search for opportunities, with Ben Andre’s drive from the long-range being held to a halt by Edouard Mendy.
The body language of Tuchel’s angry face revealed his anger at Chelsea’s inability to increase their lead early in half.
But, he did get his message through, and there was more excitement around Chelsea following the interval.
Marcos Alonso’s goalbound shot was diverted by Zeki Celik before Ziyech, along with Mateo Kovacic, were forced off.
Chelsea did not seem to be hindered by injuries and doubled their lead through a swift attack in the 64th minute.
Thiago Silva kicked off the incisive attack by slipping a fantastic passing at N’Golo Kante, who advanced quickly toward the Lille area before passing an excellent pass to Pulisic.
After two attempts at the ball, Pulisic was able to control himself and slid a clear finish over Jardim in the 10th yard.
