Chelsea beat Lille with goals from Pulisic and Havertz

The pace of English teams, today, is several steps above the other European teams, with the exception of Bayern Munich. An idea that has been around for several seasons after the Champions League rounds and that this Tuesday reaffirmed the reigning European champions, Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea. The Blues, without much trouble, defeated the last winner of Ligue 1, Lille (2-0).

More Champions League News:

Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United 2022 Champions League prediction: Who is more likely to win in the first leg?

Tuchel surprised with his starting eleven. He left Lukaku out and opted for the Pulisic-Havertz-Ziyech trident. The German played as a 'false 9' and almost in the first play showed that his aim is not that of a 'killer'. After a great service from the right by Azpilicueta, he missed from close range and under the posts to put the first clear goal in favor of the Londoners.

In the absence of Lukaku, Havertz came in

The German did not give up, and with a cross-shot, he forced the corner that would lead to his long-awaited goal. He rose through the visiting defense to head the ball home to make it 1-0. Ziyech's flick from the corner was gold dust. The Moroccan is life insurance in this type of play.

The conceded goal woke up Lille, who came out bravely in the pressure but were overwhelmed by the great ball output of the rival. They tried not to commit suicide too quickly, knowing that Chelsea enjoyed the spaces, and neutralized the enemy's offensive attacks. Renato took advantage of one of the few lapses of the Blue defense to put a ball into space that Bamba was about to reach, but Mendy, very attentive, was quick to clear the ball.

Tuchel's team let their opponents take possession of the ball. Comfortable on the counter-attack and with the Kanté-Kovacic pairing sweeping through the midfield, Chelsea kept the 1-0 lead until half-time with a defensive masterclass that ensured their goalkeeper didn't even appear on the broadcast camera.

But even the champions have to pay tolls for overexertion during a season full of matches due to the tight schedule. Chelsea had to see both Kovacic and Ziyech, two pillars in Tuchel's scheme, go off injured, and instead of bringing on Jorginho, he preferred to use Loftus-Cheek and Saul.

Even so, the Blues remained firm in defense and quick on the counterattack. Thus came the 2-0, initiated by a splendid Kanté in driving. The Frenchman arrived at the front, waited, was patient, and, at the right moment, put the ball to Pulisic, who arrived in the area like a spring. The American scored with his right foot in front of the goalkeeper to put the game away.

Gourvennec tried to close the gap by bringing on Yilmaz, but Chelsea's defensive solidity and good management in the closing stages allowed the reigning champions to fulfill the predictions and take an important and comfortable victory to the return leg, which will be in France on March 16.

More Champions League News:

UEFA would change the location of the Champions League final due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. What is Plan B?