Chelsea kicked off their defence of the Champions League with a win at Stamford Bridge over Zenit. Romelu Lukaku continued his scintillating return to Stamford Bridge by scoring the only goal of the game in what was a very close encounter. After just one game, it appears that this defence of the Champions League will go much better than Chelsea’s last which saw them exit the tournament in the group stage.
Romelu Lukaku Fires Chelsea to Champions League Victory
Tough First Half
It was a tough game for Chelsea despite the home advantage. Zenit set up defensively and in the first half, were more than happy to soak up the pressure as Chelsea probed for any space to take advantage. Ultimately, Zenit kept Chelsea at bay with ease thanks to their defensive shape forcing Chelsea to go wide while their centre backs did a great job of keeping Lukaku quiet.
Second Half Change Opens the Game Up
It was the kind of game that could only be settled by a world-class striker, something we can all agree Chelsea has lacked since the departure of Diego Costa. The Blues did their part to help Lukaku out as they came out of the second half with some added energy. No longer was the ball being kept in midfield waiting for space to open up, instead, Chelsea began moving the ball forward much quicker, making direct passes that Zenit had issues defending.
After a few close calls, Romelu Lukaku did what Chelsea paid £100 million for him to do when he rose to meet a cross from Cesar Azpilicueta and headed it home.
Chelsea saw out the rest of the game, although Zenit did trouble the defence on occasion, and Lukaku arguably should’ve bagged a second on a late counter-attack. That didn’t matter as the Belgian’s job was done and he can walk away from this game knowing that he got Chelsea the valuable three points.
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