Chelsea have taken a big step towards defending their Champions League title by seeing off LOSC Lille 2-0 in the first leg of their round of 16 first leg tie at Stamford Bridge.
A goal each on either side of the half by Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic were enough to hand Chelsea the first leg advantage in a fiercely contested game.
Thomas Tuchel made a big call to drop Romelu Lukaku to the bench in favour of Kai Havertz leading the attack. The Belgian has come under fire for his inconsistency in front of goal.
Tuchel obviously followed the parable of a bird in hand is worth more than nine in the bush as he fielded a strong side despite having the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at the weekend.
Chelsea started on the front foot, missing a couple of chances in the first few minutes. Havertz fired over the bar from close range before seeing his curling effort saved by Leonardo Jardim after being setup by Cesar Azpilicueta.
The German forward was not going to be denied in the 8th minute as he put the Blues ahead when he rose highest to meet an out-swinging corner from Hakim Ziyech.
The goal was always coming and if there was anyone that looked like scoring, it was definitely Havertz, having missed a couple of chances earlier.
Lillle grew into the game and much of their creative work came from Renato Sanches. It was good to see the Portuguese prodigy display a glimpse of what made him prominent after the 2016 European Championship where he shone like a million stars for Portugal.
His career hasn't been like expected with injuries and poor form. Personally, I believe his move to Bayern Munich was to early given that he had to contest with players like Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal and Thiago Alcantara who were all at their peak.
The pace of the game was almost unbelievable as both teams tried to outplay the other in a fast-paced display. Lille, although struggled to create goal-scoring opportunities or even trouble Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea definitely found a match in their visitors for their style of play on the night which was electric and their experience seemed to have given them the edge over a largely inexperienced Lille side.
As Lille were struggling to come back into the game, Chelsea struck them a knockout blow with the second goal in the 63rd minute from a counterattack.
N'Golo Kante leading the charge from the back as he drove the ball from his own half into the opposition's final third before releasing a well timed pass into the feet of Pulisic, who took the ball in his strides and slotted into the bottom right corner of Jardim's post.
Hate Chelsea as you like, Kante is one player you never find a way to hate. His work ethic, work rate, discipline and talent are just almost too good to be true. He rarely loses the ball, wins it back without fouls and is arguably one of Chelsea's most influential players.
I would have thought that the introduction of Burak Yilmaz, their highest goalscorer in the league last season with 16 goals as they toppled PSG to the title, would have changed things, but they failed to even make his presence count.
For a player his size and his aerial capabilities, I would have expected to see more balls into the area for him to attack. Although, he looks to be struggling for form under new manager, Jocelyn Gourvennec following the exit of Christopher Galtier to Nice.
The game was tainted for Chelsea with what looked like injury concerns as Matteo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech both left the pitch limping and it waits to be seen the level of damage.
The Blues have now become the first Premier League side to win their first five home games of the Champions League without conceding and take the advantage into the second leg.
While I think Lille would definitely put up a fight in the second leg just like they did in the first, I don't see them overturning Chelsea. The Blues have created a level of consistent disciplined outlook in Europe especially.
If they think of doing anything at all, they'd need to be better with their balls in the final third as that was really lacking on the night. Mendy did not have to make any save out of his comfort zone, which showed how poorly they fared in that area.
Do you think Lille have any chance in the second leg? Or is Chelsea already through into the last 8? Let's talk.
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