Thomas Tuchel praised Kai Havertz for delivering the work rate that benched Romelu Lukaku couldn’t as Chelsea closed in on the Champions League quarter-finals.
Havertz nodded the Blues in front after seven minutes with Christian Pulisic adding a 62nd-minute second ahead of the return leg on March 16. Chelsea has progressed on nine of the 11 times they have won the first leg of a Champions League knockout phase tie.
Tuchel said: “I am very pleased for Kai. He really steps up. The effort is immense, the work rate is immense, the areas of the pitch he covers for u
“He was very good, very decisive. He was never shy of defending. We had an aggressive high line today with our offensive players. It was a formation to have intensity and a high work rate consistently throughout the whole match and they did very well.
‘Romelu Lukaku struggled in the last game o deliver that’ Lukaku – who had just seven Premier League touches in 90 minutes at Crystal Palace last Saturday – remained on the bench with his troubled return to Stamford Bridge going from bad to worse.
Tuchel refused to guarantee the Belgian – the only substitute not to be involved in the post-match warm-down – a start in Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final against Liverpool
