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Romelu Lukaku ensured Chelsea kicked off their Champions League title defense on a winning note as the Blues won 1-0 against Zenit St. Petersburg. Lukaku's second-half header powered the Blues to all three points in their opening Group H game at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (September 14).
Chelsea came into the game unbeaten across all competitions this season and were looking to keep the juggernaut rolling. Meanwhile, the visitors, who faced the stern test of taking on a rampant Thomas Tuchel side away from home, were looking to stage an upset.
The game was initially cagey as both sides failed to break the opposing side’s defense. Chelsea, in particular, lacked creativity at the center of the park and this meant star forward Lukaku was starved of service up top and unable to influence the game.
With clear-cut chances at a premium, the first-half finished goalless with the Russians heading into the tunnel the happier of the two sides.
The second half brought no change to the game as Chelsea continued to lack that final pass to break down the visitors. Zenit's chances of grabbing a point seemed to be quickly growing as the minutes went by.
But as is the hallmark of any champion side, Chelsea finally got their breakthrough strike. The duo of Cesar Azpilicueta and Romelu Lukaku combined as the Belgian found the net in the 69th minute.
Azpilicueta whipped in a searching cross into the path of the towering Lukaku, who leaped highest to head home his fourth goal in four games for Chelsea.
Zenit St. Petersburg upped the ante there on, but were repelled by a resilient display from Chelsea’s dogged defense. The performance was evidence of the side's defensive brilliance as they have conceded just once so far this season.
The Blues are now level on three points with Serie A giants Juventus, who they face in Italy in their next Champions League outing.
Chelsea player ratings
Edouard Mendy - 7/10
The Chelsea shot-stopper continued his string of impressive performances as he made a couple of saves to keep his side in the game. Mendy recorded a 100% save success rate against Zenit.
Antonio Rudiger - 8.5/10
Rudiger was Chelsea’s best performer on the pitch by a mile. The German shot stopper was on deck to constantly repel the visitors' frontmen. He even made a last-gasp stop to deny Sardar Azmoun the opener after the Iranian forward was through on goal and face-to-face with Mendy. Overall, Rudiger made one tackle and completed 94% of his passes.
Rudiger had one of his “crazy” moments in the second half as well. The centre-back slalomed across the pitch all the way to the Zenit box, before firing his shot a few meters wide.
Andreas Christensen - 7/10
Operating in the center of the back three, Christensen sat deep to mop up any threat whenever his fellow defenders joined up with the attack. The Danish defender made one tackle, won a foul and completed 109 passes during the game.
A lapse in concentration once in the second half put Sardar Azmoun through on goal as he reacted late. Luckily, he was saved from his blushes by the onrushing Rudiger.
Cesar Azpiliueta - 8.5/10
The skipper put in an inspiring performance on the right side of the pitch for Chelsea. With the Blues desperately in need of a creative force, Azpilicueta stepped up to set up Lukaku with a pin-point cross in the 69th minute.
He was also defensively solid, making one tackle and completing 89.8% of his passes.
Marcos Alonso - 5/10
The Chelsea full-back struggled to influence the game on the left flank. Alonso was constantly beaten by Zenit’s Aleksei Sutormin and failed to complete any of his six attempted crosses. He was hooked off for Ben Chilwell in the 83rd minute.
Jorginho - 7/10
The Italian was Chelsea’s midfield orchestrator against Zenit. Jorginho dictated the pace and tempo of his side’s play as he kept the ball moving in the center of the park. While he was on deck to spring passes across to his teammates, he lacked that final pass to create something in attack. He completed all five long ball attempts, and finished the game with a passing accuracy of 93.7%.
Mateo Kovacic - 7.5/10
It was an all-round impressive performance from the Croatian midfielder, who has been on song for Chelsea in recent games. Kovacic was a constant threat in midfield as he breezed past his markers in his usual manner.
He was defensively aware all game and finished the game winning all but one of his eight duels. Kovacic covered a lot of ground at the center of the pitch in what was an industrious performance. He also recorded one key pass, shot and tackle apiece in addition to completing 97.1% of his passes.
Reece James - 7.5/10
The Chelsea full-back was a constant threat to the visitors down the right as he looked to take on his maker and drill in dangerous crosses. James bore the brunt of Chelsea’s creative responsibilities for most of the game and created a couple of goalscoring chances. He ended the game with three key passes, one shot and completed 90.5% of his passes.
Mason Mount - 7/10
Although the England international looked off pace for most of the game, he showed flashes of brilliance. However, Mount once again failed to link up well with Romelu Lukaku in attack and the duo are yet to find some synergy. Though he couldn't get a single shot away, Mount managed three key passes, won a foul and completed 83.3% of his passes.
Hakim Ziyech - 5.5/10
Ziyech’s run of inconsistent performances continued as he failed to provide the creativity needed in midfield against Zenit. This led to Chelsea posing no serious threat to the visitors in the first half. He was hooked off for Kai Havertz shortly after the hour mark, having recorded three shots (one on target) and a passing accuracy of 78.6%.
Romelu Lukaku - 8.5/10
The Belgian forward seems to be enjoying life in his second stint as a Chelsea player. Lukaku gave the Blues the lead in the 69th minute with a thumping header to take his goal tally to four for the season. He managed four shots in total and also recorded two key passes.
It was another inspiring performance from the 28-year-old, who will undoubtedly play a huge role for the Stamford Bridge outfit this season.
Chelsea substitutes
Kai Havertz - 5.5/10
The German was brought on in the 63rd minute for Ziyech to inject life into the midfield and offer more creatively. However, Havertz failed to impact the game for most of his time on the pitch.
Ben Chilwell - 5/10
The Englishman came on in the 83rd minute to replace Alonso. It was Chilwell's first appearance in a Chelsea shirt this season but there was little time for him to influence the game.
Thiago Silva - 6/10
The veteran defender provided fresh legs in defense after coming on in the 83rd minute for Azpilicueta. Silva helped Chelsea protect their slender lead.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - N/A
The midfielder came on in the 93rd minute to replace Mount and was used merely to run down the clock in the final seconds of play.
