Defending champions Chelsea took a big step towards the quarter-finals of the Champions League as goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic earned a 2-0 first-leg victory over Lille in the last-16.
With Romelu Lukaku left out of the starting lineup, Havertz opened the scoring inside ten minutes in an encouraging display up-front, before Pulisic struck on the break shortly after the hour-mark.
Thomas Tuchel made the major call to leave Lukaku on the bench following a dismal showing at Crystal Palace on Saturday in which the Belgian had just seven touches.
Havertz instead led the line as Tuchel made three changes to his side, Mateo Kovacic, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso coming in, while Mason Mount returned from injury to be among the substitutes.
The Blues made a fast start and Havertz might have scored twice already before eventually opening the scoring, first poking Azpilicueta’s low cross over the bar when he ought to have scored and then seeing a low curling effort tipped round the post by Leo Jardim.
From the resulting corner, however, he got his goal, powering Hakim Ziyech’s cross into the corner. If there was a fear that Chelsea might be about to runaway with their first leg, as Manchester City had a week ago, then it was swiftly put to bed as Lille grew steadily into the game.
Antonio Rudiger was fortunate to slice over his own bar rather than under it from Renato Sanches’ cross, the Portuguese impressive in pulling the strings throughout.
What had briefly looked like being a straightforward task for Chelsea became more challenging as the visitors grew in confidence and looked to have become markedly so when Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech both limped off early in the second-half.
Their departures will be a concern ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, but on the night spirits were quickly lifted by a second goal, one which puts the Blues firmly in charge of the tie.
It was made by the energy of N’Golo Kante, the Frenchman driving through midfield in typical fashion and then releasing Pulisic at the perfect moment, the American intelligently taking the ball across his pursuer before lifting into the far corner.
