After his excellent effort against Lille last night, Thomas Tuchel singled out Chelsea’s Kai Havertz for special praise.
The Blues gained command of their Champions League last-16 encounter against Lille on Tuesday night, winning the first leg 2-0.
Tuchel’s team took the lead early on at Stamford Bridge thanks to Havertz, who found space in the penalty box to head home his eighth goal of the season from a corner.
Christian Pulisic then added a crucial second goal in the second half, putting the Premier League side as strong favourites to win the match in France.
Havertz, who began ahead of colleague RomeluLukaku in the number nine position, was outstanding for the entire 90 minutes.
With his movement and directness, the 22-year-old forward put in a lot of hard effort off the ball while still posing a serious attacking danger.
Tuchel was taken aback by the German’s distance travelled in the Lille victory: “I’m really happy.” Kai has been quite strong for several weeks and has really stepped up his game. His effort is enormous, his work rate is enormous, and the areas of the pitch he covers for us are excellent. Tuchel remarked, “He was decisive, generated chances, was involved, and was never afraid to defend.”
Chelsea fans will be encouraged by their team’s triumph over Lille last night.
The Blues’ defence, led by “ridiculously good” center-back Thiago Silva, was able to detect the Ligue 1 visitors’ threat.
Furthermore, Chelsea’s offensive performance appeared to be much brighter than in prior games.
This team appears to have many more gears to go through, but this week’s European performance was just a taste of what they’re capable of when they’re on.
When the Carabao Cup final versus Liverpool takes place on Sunday, it will undoubtedly require an even better performance. Liverpool, the Merseyside giants, should be put through a gruelling Premier League match against Leeds United at home tonight.
