UEFA champions league holders, Chelsea on Tuesday night seized control of their Champions League last-16 tie with Lille as goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic secured a 2-0 win in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.
Embattled striker, Romelu Lukaku, who produced just seven touches during the full 90 minutes of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday in the Premier League, was an unused substitute as Havertz was drafted in to play the false nine role.
Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel watched on animated but with his decisions vindicated as the Champions League holders – and newly crowned club world champions – defended resolutely to preserve another clean sheet, but the second-half withdrawals of Mateo Kovacic and Ziyech through injuries placed a slight dampener on an otherwise routine night.
Chelsea showed off the Club World Cup trophy prior to kick-off, and the French side ought to have fallen behind inside the opening five minutes when Havertz lifted his close-range shot over from Cesar Azpilicueta’s low delivery.
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With his second attempt, Havertz was found by Pulisic to cap a slick counter-attack, but having stepped inside Newcastle target Sven Botman, the German was denied by Jardim’s outstretched arm.
Lille failed to heed the warning of Havertz, as from the ensuing corner from Ziyech, the man who scored the winning goal in both the Champions League final last May and Club World Cup rose unmarked to plant his header into the net.
They slowly grew into this contest, too, with Chelsea’s tempo dropping off to the dismay of Tuchel.
Chelsea needed to up it – and they emerged from the restart re-energised as Jose Fonte was forced to block a Pulisic shot within the opening 60 seconds of the second period.
But any growing agitation was eased when Pulisic doubled the home side’s lead. Kante was instrumental as he latched onto Thiago Silva’s interception to release Pulisic and, after holding off the retreating Lille defence, he opened up his body and lifted his shot beyond Jardim.
Tuchel sat back down, content at the tactical switch of bringing on Saul Niguez for the injured Ziyech instead of looking to a more offensive player in Timo Werner or Lukaku. The Belgian would stay firmly rooted to the bench.
Chelsea only conceded two goals in the knockout stages last season en route to lifting the trophy in Porto. Following a winter break longer than most Premier League teams, and despite playing at home in the first leg of their last-16 tie, they are well placed to progress deep once more into this year’s competition.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK