ith 28 minutes gone and Chelsea deservedly a objective to the great on an exciting night at Stamford Bridge, Thiago Silva could possibly be seen racing again in direction of the Matthew Harding Stand, his eyes mounted on the ball as he ready to tug off a bit of defending that may have left most males of his age vowing by no means to attempt something so ridiculous once more.
It mustn’t have been attainable. For as soon as Chelsea’s imperious defence had been caught out. Alvaro Morata will need to have thought he was about to silence the taunts from the house followers after reaching Manuel Locatelli’s move a break up second earlier than Edouard Mendy, who was powerless to cease the Juventus ahead lifting the ball over his determined lunge.
Booed each time he touched the ball on his return to west London, Morata couldn’t have completed way more with the prospect. The shot was excessive, Mendy was overwhelmed and 1-1 was on the playing cards. Like everybody else inside Stamford Bridge, Morata couldn’t have predicted that he was going to be denied by Silva producing a second of astonishing athleticism, the 37-year-old defying logic by hurtling again to hook the ball to security with a spectacular overhead clearance.
For Juventus the second had gone, their perception ebbing away as soon as Silva had proven that the conventional guidelines don’t apply to him. They wouldn’t threaten once more and Chelsea didn’t look again after that scare, sealing their place within the final 16 after growing the depth within the second half. The high quality of their soccer was nothing in need of sensational as they handed Max Allegri’s aspect their heaviest ever defeat within the Champions League.
There are barely any weaknesses in Tuchel’s crew. Silva, so cool on the coronary heart of the again three, cruised by way of the sport and can absolutely be handed a brand new contract when his present deal runs out on the finish of the season.
Trevoh Chalobah, who lashed within the opening objective, was excellent because the right-sided centre-back. Antonio Rüdiger by no means wasted an opportunity to rumble ahead from the again, at one level forcing Leonardo Bonucci right into a determined objective‑saving problem early within the first half.
It so usually comes again to the defence with Chelsea. There have been 16 objectives from their defenders this season and it was massively satisfying for Tuchel to observe his crew overwhelm Juventus not solely with the creativity of their attacking but additionally with the intelligence of their total method, the best way that each participant seemed ready to go away his beginning place and shock their opponents by popping up in surprising components of the pitch.
Take N’Golo Kanté, who spent a lot of the primary half drifting from central midfield to take up a job as an inside-right ahead earlier than going off injured within the thirty seventh minute. Kanté was unimaginable to pin down earlier than making means for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and his motion meant there was loads of area for Hakim Ziyech, whose affect grew as the sport wore on, the vary of his passing making life depressing for Juventus’s defenders.
Then there was the position of the wing-backs, Ben Chilwell and Reece James.
They had been extra like No 10s at occasions, their skill to maneuver inside and burst into the realm a ploy that Juventus had been incapable of dealing with.
Chilwell ought to have scored within the first minute and it was not a shock when James bought on the scoresheet, blasting within the second after Matthijs de Ligt’s tried headed clearance had fallen to him on the suitable.
It was a shocking objective from James, who has been in excellent type this season, and Tuchel didn’t maintain again because the ball flew into the online.
Chelsea’s supervisor was on the pitch, pumping his fists, and he was at it once more three minutes later, celebrating lustily when the spectacular Callum Hudson-Odoi completed off one other flowing transfer.
This was a glimpse of Chelsea at their finest and the scary thought for the remainder of Europe is that there’s extra to come back. Romelu Lukaku was an unused substitute. Kai Havertz was lacking with a hamstring harm. Mason Mount was not required till the second half and there was the added bonus of a late objective for Timo Werner, who tapped house from shut vary after coming off the bench.
The sense is that each one the components are beginning to come collectively. Chelsea have conceded solely 24 objectives in Tuchel’s first 50 video games in cost. The starvation to maintain a clear sheet, epitomised by Silva, makes them much more harmful.
Chelsea runs riot against Juventus in Champions League group stage
The defending champions battered the outclassed Italians, Chelsea reserving their place within the knockout phases but additionally overhauling their Serie A rivals on the prime of Group H.
Match or higher Juve’s outcome within the closing set of round-robin fixtures in early December and the Blues will prime the group.
Chelsea’s sole issues on a raucous west London night time proved harm scares for N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell, who each hobbled out of motion properly forward of time.
Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner struck to sink Juventus 4-0 and march an imperious Chelsea into the Champions League’s final 16.
England wing-back James grew to become Chelsea’s outright prime scorer for the season up to now. The unassuming 21-year-old now boasts 5 objectives and 5 assists for the time period and continued his revelatory type with a elegant end in opposition to The Old Lady.
Fast-improving younger defender Chalobah lashed Chelsea into an early lead, palming his fingers collectively in celebratory prayer. An outmanoeuvred Juventus aspect would rapidly be left to want for divine intervention, such was the dimensions of Chelsea’s stifling dominance.
Thomas Tuchel has lengthy since vowed to make Chelsea horrible to play in opposition to, and on this proof that mission is full.
James struck and Hudson-Odoi completed a luxurious crew objective earlier than alternative Werner rounded off the rout on the demise.
Chelsea ripped straight into opponents seemingly totally unprepared for the Blues’ gameplan.
The sluggish guests had been pulled aside again and again by an more and more slick Chelsea aspect and as soon as the hosts coupled that tight attacking method with the power to recuperate the ball nearly instantly, a bleak night time unfurled in entrance of the shocked Juve gamers.
Chalobah might have opened the scoring in mere minutes with a squarer connection to Ziyech’s nook, earlier than Matthijs De Ligt needed to deflect Chilwell’s low cross to security.
James nearly caught Wojciech Szczesny napping from a free-kick on the wing after the out-of-sorts Juan Cuadrado had been booked for hauling down Hudson-Odoi.
Chalobah lastly supplied the inevitable Chelsea lead, lashing into the online after a deflected nook.
Juventus’ woeful first-half exhibiting descended into protesting an clearly issue-free objective, the visiting defence clutching at straws in claiming any sort of Chelsea handball.
Adrien Rabiot’s faltering clearing header deflected off Antonio Rudiger’s arm at point-blank vary, with the Chelsea defender wanting totally in the wrong way. Chalobah swept house as Juve protested pointlessly, with the Blues’ objective rightly standing.
Juve rallied to the purpose of Morata lobbing Mendy on the break, just for the ageless Thiago Silva to conjure a shocking goal-line clearance.
James chested down Hudson-Odoi’s crossfield ball to fireplace in a candy strike on objective that compelled Szczesny to tip across the submit.
Rudiger nodded huge from one other teasing Ziyech nook and Bonucci needed to mop up simply as Hudson-Odoi seemed to tug the set off having nipped in behind on Jorginho’s lofted move.
Silva flicked a header on course to open the second half earlier than Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi ought to have mixed for a objective, however neither might fairly discover area for a shot.
James’ bullet end doubled the house lead nonetheless, because the England wing-back chested down earlier than delivering the killer blow.
Juventus by no means recovered, and conceded once more in a flash.
Rudiger raked a ball out to James and he chopped inside in a single contact then laid off to Ziyech, who slipped a first-time move into Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The resurgent former England midfielder omitted two challenges within the space and reduce by way of to Hudson-Odoi, who did the remainder with a superb end.
Just when Juventus thought their ignominy was at an finish, James pinged a crossfield move to Ziyech and his low ball invited Werner to faucet into the empty internet.
