Chelsea FC vs Lille OSC– Post Match Review

Lampard’s army booked their place for the final sixteen in UCL after winning comfortably at the bridge against Lille with the score of 2-1 after full time.

The blues started brightly and dominated the game throughout the play till the end, from the start till the end; Chelsea had majority of the possessions and where on the attacking side for almost every time.

Christian Pulisic and Emerson both coming close early on – and it didn’t take the home side long to move into the lead when Tammy Abraham tapped home a low cross from Willian on 19 minutes.

An unmarked Cesar Azpilicueta made it two on 35 minutes, heading home an Emerson corner. The much-changed Lille side struggled to grow into the game, continuing to drop off and let Chelsea play at their own tempo but managed to score one and denied the clean sheet to Chelsea with the goal coming from former blue Loic Remy.

That goal set up a nervy last 15 minutes at Stamford Bridge, but the west London side were able to hold on and see out the rest of the game to book their place in the last 16.

Key Talking Points

Chelsea FC

The blues hit a poor run of form with only one win in last five fixtures over all competitions and it became an icing on their cake after they lost to Everton in last Premier league game.

As a result, manager Frank Lampard will have been keen to see his side get back to winning ways on a crucial night for them, with a win required in order to book their place in the last 16.

From the off, the Blues dominated a much-changed Lille side and following a number of missed chances, they soon moved into the lead just before the 20 minute mark. A second was added before half time and yet, it still appeared as though they were only playing in second or third gear. They were coasting to the victory.

The second half was no different and Chelsea continued to play game in own style and pace. However, they weren’t able to add to their two-goal advantage and were punished. Once again, despite the fact that Lampard’s men were cruising for the majority of the game, they were unable to keep a clean sheet.

Nonetheless, overall, it was job done and the Blues booked their place in the last 16 of the competition.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Kepa (5); Azpilicueta (7), Rudiger (6), Zouma (6), Emerson (6); Kovacic (7), Jorginho (7), Kante (8*); Willian (6), Abraham (6), Pulisic (7) Substitutes: Hudson-Odoi (6), Batshuayi (4), Mount (5)

Star Man

This was a tough one, with a number of impressive performances on the night. Antonio Rudiger looked assured on his return to the team, while Pulisic and Emerson were also excellent and deserve credit for their displays.

However, it was Kante who was the team’s standout performer. The Frenchman was buzzing around the pitch, looking to make things happen every time he got the ball. His work rate was truly astonishing and the Lille players were simply incapable of dealing with his movement.

The 28-year-old World Cup winning man was sublime throughout, popping up on the right of the midfield before getting back to intercept the ball and carry it forward at pace once more to get his side on the attack. The two time Premier league winner ran the show and he barely even looked tired as the full-time whistle blew.

Lille OSC

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Maignan (5); Celik (4), Djaló (4), Gabriel (4), Pied (3); Soumare (6), Maia (6); Xeka (5), Araujo (6*), Yazici (4), Remy (4) Substitutes: Bamba (5), Jardim (5), Renato Sanches (5)

Looking Forward

Chelsea looks back to be on track with their winning streak as they host Bournemouth at Stamford bridge on Saturday before heading to Jose Mourinho’s side for a big London Derby later.

Keep The Blue Flag Flying High..!!!

- Dipanshu Sharma (el_dipu9)