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Chelsea began their Champions League defense with a 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were nowhere near their best, but a sole goal in the second half by club-record signing Romelu Lukaku helped them grab all three points.
Thomas Tuchel will have a lot to think about as most of his players were off the mark tonight. Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech were nowhere near their best, and the duo struggled against the Russian side's defense. Both players tried to influence the game on multiple occasions, but Zenit were able to keep them at bay.
However, the Blues found some inspiration in the second half and managed to start their Champions League campaign with a win. Here are five players who impressed for Chelsea tonight at Stamford Bridge.
#5 - Antonio Rudiger
Once again, the defender was on top of his game, and Zenit could not get past Antonio Rudiger tonight. Apart from having a good day in the back-line, he went on a crazy run and almost got a goal in the second half as well.
Rudiger's best moment of the game came in the second period. Sardar Azmoun raced through after a mistake by Andreas Christensen and was ready to give Zenit the lead. The Iranian forward managed to wriggle past the Chelsea defense and was clear on goal. But before he could get a shot away, Rudiger managed to put his foot in the way and block the shot.
The German finished the game with a 94% past success and that one very important tackle. It is safe to say that Chelsea might not have gotten all three points without Rudiger in the back-line tonight.
#4 - Jorginho
Jorginho was presented with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award at the start of the game. In the 90 minutes on the pitch, he showed exactly why he deserved it.
The Italian managed to control the game from the start, and along with Kovacic, he ensured that Zenit did not enjoy much possession. Jorginho was the focal point of all moves and was determined to keep the ball in his side's control. The Chelsea vice-captain also finished with a 94% pass success and made two crucial tackles when Zenit tried to counter during the game.
Thomas Tuchel will be really happy with Jorginho's performance tonight. The Italian remains vital for the German manager's side to play well.
#3 - Mateo Kovacic
Chelsea's Croatian midfielder came into the game with a goal and an assist in the win over Aston Villa over the weekend. Mateo Kovacic did not disappoint against Zenit either and covered most of the ground for the whole game.
Kovacic is fighting for a place in the starting 11 with N'Golo Kante and Jorginho this season. Going by his recent performances, there is no way the manager can drop him any time soon. The Croatian kept the game ticking and constantly pushed Zenit's defense back into their box.
He finished the game with 101 passes and a pass success of 97.8%. The game was not at high intensity, but without Kovacic, Chelsea would have struggled to create chances against Zenit.
#2 - Cesar Azpilicueta
The Chelsea captain once again delivered tonight with a solid display in defense. Apart from that one chance where Sardar Azmoun managed to get past the back-line, Cesar Azpilicueta was on top with this game from the first whistle.
The right center back did pick up a booking for elbowing Sardar Azmoun during the game but kept his composure and did not lunge into any tackles. Azpilicueta tried to get the ball past the Zenit defense multiple times, and he succeeded in the second half.
The Spaniard got the assist for the game's lone goal as he crossed the ball to Romelu Lukaku in the box for the striker to convert. Azpilicueta also ended the game with over a hundred passes attempted, and had a success rate of 90%.
#1 - Romelu Lukaku
Once again, Romelu Lukaku has shown why Chelsea spent a club-record £97.5 million to get him back to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian striker scored from the half-chance he got in the 69th minute, and that was enough for the reigning Champions of Europe to pick up all three points.
Lukaku was isolated throughout the game by the Zenit defense as they marked him tightly. However, one lofted ball in by Azpilicueta was enough for the Chelsea forward to create some space for himself and head the ball into the back of the net.
Thomas Tuchel will be very happy with the Belgian's performance tonight. Lukaku made some excellent runs and constantly asked for the ball to be played to him. However, he did not receive sufficient service from Mason Mount and Hakim Ziyech in the first half. The forward had to wait for Kai Havertz to come on from the bench and help him out in the second period.
