Champions League

KAI HAVERTZ did in five what Romelu Lukaku could not do in seven.And the German is not even a striker.
Kai Havertz got Chelsea off to the perfect start with his early headerCredit: Getty
Christian Pulisic celebrates his second-half goal at Stamford BridgeCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Havertz scored the goal which put Chelsea in command of a tricky Champions League clash with his fifth touch of the ball.
A stark contrast to Lukaku’s dismal failure last weekend at Crystal Palace when he connected with the ball just seven times in 90 minutes.
He was relegated even further to a mere spectator as he sat and watched from the bench as Havertz produced an energetic performance as a so-called ‘false nine’ and continued his scoring run.
He followed on from netting the goal which crowned Chelsea as Club World Cup winners with a header on eight minutes against the stubborn French champions.
Whilst it did not trigger the goal-rush boss Thomas Tuchel hoped for, it was enough of a platform for Christian Pulisic to build a decent first leg lead with the second in the 63rd minute.
And it means they go to France for the second leg next month as firm favourites to reach the last eight in their defence of their European title.
Whilst it was not a vintage display and Tuchel’s team were at times the architects of their own nervy moments, they held on and with a clean sheet as an added bonus should proceed to the quarter-finals.
Before kick-off the Blues took a moment to parade the newly-acquired trophy, yet another bauble to add to the collection, but nowhere near as high on the list of objectives as retaining the Champions League.
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It was at this point last year that Tuchel came in at Chelsea. His first European game as manager was a 1-0 away win at Atletico Madrid 364 days prior to last night’s fixture.
He has stamped his mark on the club in many ways since then but the search for a striker of consistent quality is one area still causing problems.
Hence the decision to drop Lukaku to the bench as his £97million striker and English football struggle to find common ground.
There were calls in the House of Commons yesterday to sanction Chelsea’s billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich over his country’s incursion into Ukraine.
Red Rom is sweating on his London investments, while Blue Rom is having his assets squeezed by Tuchel.
Just 24 hours before kick off, there was a vow to ‘protect our player’ in a meaningful address by the boss as he claimed to be on Lukaku’s side during a dip in form.
Kai Havertz headed Chelsea into the lead inside eight minutesCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Christian Pulisic added a second on the counter-attack after half-timeCredit: Rex
Romelu Lukaku was dropped to the bench after his horror show against Crystal PalaceCredit: Reuters
If axing your record signing is protection then Tuchel is playing mind games with the man who has cost Abramovich £9.7m a goal this season.
He happily resisted the temptation to bring Lukaku off the bench to press home the advantage with Chelsea two-up. Instead Timo Werner, another forward failing to find form in front of goal, got a run out at the end of the night.
There will still be questions from the boss regarding the way his team failed to finish off a team sitting 11th in the French League and a pale shadow of that which swept to their title last season.
And as controlling as Chelsea were, Lille at times probed and prodded and were it not for a sterling display from the ageless Thiago Silva at the back, it could have been a much more uncomfortable night for them.
After such a blistering start with the early goal from Havertz and an opening salvo of energetic football and gusto, Chelsea fizzled out and half-time arrived as a relief and a chance to regroup.
The anticipated blitz on the Lille goal at the start of the second half barely flickered and the hosts were dealt another blow to their confidence and their shape when key men Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech were forced off with injuries within a seven-minute spell.
It is a worry for the Blues with the League Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.
Havertz was ploughing on up front and did go close with a shot on the run in the 58th-minute, just as Ziyech was being carted off, but it looked like being a frustrating night for the European champions.
That was until N’Golo Kante suddenly exploded forwards through the middle of the pitch as fast as his little legs could carry him.
From centre circle to the edge of the Lille area, the crowd behind the goal in the Matthew Harding stand were sucking him towards the net, but the composed Frenchman resisted the urge to shoot with a clever lay off to the left.
And from there American striker Pulisic arrived to plant a shot in the back of the net after which Stamford Bridge celebrated with an equal mix of celebration and relief. More

ROMELU LUKAKU was sensationally AXED by Chelsea for their clash against Lille.The Blues striker was dropped to the bench for the Champions League game against the French side at Stamford Bridge.
Romelu Lukaku was benched by Thomas Tuchel for Chelsea’s win over LilleCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Lukaku paid the price for a shocker at Crystal Palace at the weekendCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
It came days after he had just SEVEN touches during the whole match at Crystal Palace over the weekend.
The former Manchester United star also had a fall out with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel over Christmas.
He was axed following an explosive interview in Italy where he said he wanted to play for Inter Milan again.
Tuchel said: “I felt him a little bit tired. He looked a little exhausted and you have to consider that he’s played a lot.
“We’ve had extra time [in the Club World Cup final], a lot of travelling recently and it wasn’t easy for him against Palace.”
Chelsea fans reacted with shock at the news, but were not surprised after his performance at Palace.
Kai Havertz showed Lukaku up with his performance vs Lille
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One said: “This is sad, but not a shock. He was really poor at the weekend and has been recently.”
Another backed him and added: “Lukaku has been better than Ronaldo this season.”
Chelsea decided to go for Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz up front to face Lille.
And Tuchel would have been delighted with his selection as Havertz and Pulisic netted in a 2-0 victory to take a big step towards the quarter finals.
Havertz in particular shone as he stood in for Lukaku up top, with his 46 touches on the night emphasising the difference he made to Chelsea’s attacking threat.
Lukaku now faces taking his spot on the bench again for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley.
Lukaku touched the ball just seven times against Crystal Palace
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MANCHESTER UNITED’S flight to Madrid for their Champions League clash with Atletico was cancelled at the last minute.The Red Devils usually fly with Russian airline Aeroflot to their European games under a commercial agreement.
Manchester United’s flight to Madrid with Aeroflot was cancelledCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at the airport for the trip to MadridCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
But Tuesday’s flight set to take off at 4pm was cancelled amid growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Ralf Rangnick’s men instead travelled with UK-based charter airline Titan Airways and are due to land in Madrid on Tuesday night.
The Athletic report that the decision to cancel the flight was mutual between Manchester United and Aeroflot.
The Russian airline describe themselves as ‘the official carrier of Manchester United’ and have been a long-time sponsor.
Russia last night sent troops into two rebel-held areas of Ukraine in a ‘peacekeeping mission’.
The actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin have been condemned by the likes of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden.
Johnson also said it was ‘inconceivable’ that Russia could still host this season’s Champions League final.
The showpiece is scheduled to take place at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on May 28 – but has been thrown into doubt by Moscow’s rampant aggression.
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As Putin’s tanks rolled into Ukraine ahead of a “full scale invasion”, the PM warned Russia would become an international outcast.
Johnson told MPs this lunchtime the Kremlin strongman would bring about “a Russia that is more isolated, a Russia that has pariah status.
“No chance of holding a football tournament in a Russia that invades sovereign countries.”
Victor Lindelof and Anthony Elanga board the flight to the Spanish capitalCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
Man Utd defender Harry Maguire was also part of the travelling squadCredit: Getty
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries vowed to hold urgent talks with Uefa to discuss the ramifications of the crisis on the the cup clash.
She tweeted: “I have serious concerns about the sporting events due to be held in Russia, such as the Champions League final, and will discuss with the relevant governing bodies.”
The chances of Wembley getting the nod, believed to be worth around £60m, would be heightened should two English teams reach the final. More