Striker-less Chelsea too strong for Juventus
Chelsea sent a resounding message to the rest of Europe with a 4-0 thrashing of Juventus at Stamford Bridge yesterday morning (Singapore time), as they sealed passage to the Champions League's knockout stage.
The victory helped them move top of Group H, with one round of fixtures left before the round of 16.
Smothering the Italian side with their pressing game, the English Premier League leaders pinned the visitors in their own half for much of the match.
They forged ahead through a first-half goal by Trevoh Chalobah and two strikes shortly before the hour mark from Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
All the more remarkable was that they were without key strikers, Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, who were on the bench as they returned from injury, although the German came on to score the final goal.
Said Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel: "To score so many goals against a team who defend so well is a fantastic result for us."
The Blues have also been tight at the back, having kept 31 clean sheets in Tuchel's first 50 games in charge.
The only blemishes were injuries to midfielder N'Golo Kante and fullback Ben Chilwell, but Tuchel was hopeful that neither would be out for long, ahead of Sunday's EPL match against Manchester United. - REUTERS
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