Another tap for Romelu Lukaku. After 10 games in a row in the starting lineup, he was passed by Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel tonight. That was of course not a big shock after Lukaku’s historic low with only 7 keys against Crystal Palace. “He is a bit tired”, Tuchel said.
Havertz took over the role of deep striker and did so with gusto. He missed a huge opportunity after only 3 minutes and then collided with a great save by Jardim, but the third time was the right time. With a good header on a corner, he gave Chelsea the lead very early. On the couch, Lukaku gave a polite round of applause.
Chelsea looked set to have an easy evening, but that was without counting for a very eager Lille. The visitors, with our compatriot Onana in the starting line-up, played free and free soccer. Only enforcing opportunities was hardly possible with only 1 ball within the frame. Chelsea was also hardly really dangerous, only Alonso was able to put Jardim to work.
The second half started on a low note for Chelsea with both Kovacic and Ziyech out injured. Despite this, Lukaku did not get any playing minutes. Chelsea tried to deepen the narrow lead and around the hour they succeeded on a quick counter. After a wonderful rush, Kanté gave the ball well to Pulisic and he finished it off nicely: 2-0.
A creditable Lille could not embarrass Chelsea afterwards. The title holder can then travel to Northern France in 3 weeks with an ideal starting position. Lille then needs a small miracle to advance to the quarterfinals.
