Crosses went astray and decisions were rushed but manager’s preparation finally yielded 1-0 result thanks to Romelu Lukaku
As the half-time whistle edged closer, with openings scarce and Zenit St Petersburg carrying out their containment plan to perfection, an increasingly animated Thomas Tuchel could be seen urging Chelsea to calm down in the final third. There were too many rushed decisions from the European champions, a little too much desperation to force the issue, and Tuchel did not hold in his frustration when he saw Reece James spank a cross into the first white shirt after finding a rare pocket of space on the right flank.
“Slow it down,” came the cry from Tuchel, who had spent most of the first half sadly shaking his head as he watched most of Mason Mount’s crosses fail to find their target. More control, greater care: that was the aim. Chelsea did not have enough of either, even though they dominated possession and territory, and it felt like the only way forward if they were going to find a way past Zenit, who had attacked for 20 minutes before deciding to settle into an intense defensive operation.
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