When Chelsea broke their transfer record to sign Romelu Lukaku last summer, they would have hoped the Belgian could break records on the pitch in the Premier League.
He did on Saturday, just in the worst way possible.
Seven touches. The fewest in a single Premier League game for a player with 90+ minutes played since this data is available in full for the competition via Opta.
It was a new low for Lukaku whose struggles to fully transform Chelsea's attack since his £97m arrival has been a consistent narrative of this season.
The phrase "like playing with ten men" probably has never been more apt than this particular situation.
Though it did feel slightly ironic that his involvement in one of Chelsea's most encouraging attacking moves almost lead to the opener, only for VAR to intervene to rule him offside.
Those who feel little sympathy for Lukaku will pin all of Chelsea's attacking woes at his doorstep. And why not? This was the no-brainer, big-money forward to soothe all of the club's profligate woes.
Unlike the woeful finishing of Timo Werner and Alvaro Morata, Lukaku isn’t even getting the chance to finish.
The controversial interview made him an outlier in the squad and this performance demonstrated that in the strongest way possible.
Let's break down those touches.
Touch 1
Touch 2
A bit more encouragement as Lukaku drops back to link with Christian Pulisic. Hooking a nice pass over the Palace defence for the American to run onto.
Touch 3
Lukaku's most encouraging moment of the game and comes from a brilliant Hakim Ziyech cross from the right in the opening ten minutes of the game.
Lukaku gets ahead of his marker to guide the ball towards the back post. Pulisic gets there but cannot keep the effort down.
Touch 4
Like in the Club World Cup final, Pulisic and Lukaku show a good understanding.
The Belgian holds off Marc Guehi and uses his knee to play the ball into the American who then has the chance to play Kai Havertz through, but fails to execute the pass.
Touch 5
Lukaku this time links with N'Golo Kante who makes a drive forward with the ball.
His little touch plays it back into the feet of the Frenchman who decides to find Lukaku again instantly but Joachim Andersen cuts it out.
Touch 6
Undeniably his most inconsequential of the game. The ball hits Lukaku from a long pass but the move is instantly cut short when referee David Coote blows for a foul against Chelsea.
Touch 7
The only moment in the game Lukaku's time on the ball lasts more than one touch (and isn't ruled offside). The forward picks up the ball, controls well and looks to Ziyech.
But his pass was too easily telegraphed and Tyrick Mitchell cuts it out.
That was it.
The stat in itself is horrendous and illustrates a wider problem. But just looking at his seven touches is not enough to gauge why Chelsea's attack was so unconvincing on Saturday.
Lukaku consistently made quick movements off the ball to create space and open up Palace's defence. But apart from the goal ruled out for offside, when the forward was played through quickly by Mateo Kovacic, too often the safe pass was chosen in a deeper area.
Thomas Tuchel spoke of taking "no risks" in his post-match analysis and the boring nature of Chelsea's build-up executed this demand to near perfection.
For supporters who disliked the monotonous, overly structured style of Maurizio Sarri's possession-based system, Saturday's game would have brought back visions of the 2018/19 season.
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