Holders Chelsea beat Lille 2-0 in Champions League last 16 first leg

Chelsea showed they can thrive without Romelu Lukaku as Kai Havertz scored in the wake of replacing the axed Belgium striker for the 2-0 Champions League last-16, first-leg win against Lille on Tuesday. Chelsea took control of the tie thanks to Havertz’s first-half header and Christian Pulisic’s clinical finish on the second half at Stamford Bridge. The holders will expect to complete their progress to the quarter-finals when they travel to France for the second leg on March 16. Yet, Chelsea’s 6th progressive successive win in all competitions was more a referendum on their Lukaku conundrum than an indication of their chances of retaining the trophy.

Lukaku has scored just 10 goals since a club-record £97 million ($131 million) move from Inter Milan last year that was expected to launch a period of sustained dominance for Chelsea.

“For Kai, I’m very pleased. He’s been very strong for several weeks now. He really stepped up. The work rate is immense. The areas of the pitch he covers for us is very good. He is never shy of defending,” Tuchel said.

“Romelu struggled in the last game to deliver. Not only mentally tired, but physically, which I can understand. It was the moment to take a step back.

“Today we went with other players. For Sunday we have four days to recover and decide who plays.”