November 24, (THEWILL) – Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 win over Juventus at Stamford Bridge, securing a place in the Champions League’s last 16 round.
The reigning European Champions made a statement with this performance. They dominated the game from start to finish, making Massimiliano Allegri’s team, who had won all of their previous group games, seem abysmal.
Trevoh Chalobah scored the game’s first goal with a smart turn and shot from a 25th-minute corner. It was his first appearance in the competition and most certainly the first of many.
The hosts could have led by more at halftime if they had taken advantage of several golden opportunities, but they were also grateful for Thiago Silva’s outstanding defending when he brilliantly hooked an Alvaro Morata lob off the line.
Chelsea dominated the second half and rightly increased their lead with a quick-fire double.
Reece James scored a lovely goal past Wojciech Szczesny before Callum Hudson-Odoi completed a fantastic team goal just before the hour mark to put the game out of reach of the Italians.
The thrashing was completed when substitute Timo Werner added a fourth goal in stoppage time to the exhilaration of the dugout, the team and their teeming fans in the Stamford Bridge stands.
The result, in the absence of lead striker Romelu Lukaku, lifts Thomas Tuchel’s side over Juventus on goal difference to the top of Group H. The top team from the group will be decided on December 8 when Chelsea travels to Zenit and the Old Lady hosts Malmo.
There were a slew of positives for Tuchel and his supporters, but none more so than the fact that the victory was built on the foundations of Chelsea’s development system.
Three of the four goals were scored by players who had progressed through the ranks. Chelsea signed Chalobah at the age of eight, James at the age of six, and Hudson Odoi at the age of seven. Indeed, the fact that the Blues had three different English goal scorers in a single UEFA Champions League encounter for the first time speaks a lot.
Tuchel and his team’s lone blemish was injuries to N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell, who were both forced off hurt during the game and will almost certainly be doubtful against Manchester United on Sunday in the English Premier League.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
