London: Chelsea beat French Ligue 1 club Lille 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.
But Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech were ruled out due to injuries, and the victory over Lille was a bit of a blow for Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel has rested striker Romelu Lukaku, who did not perform well against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Chelsea took the lead in the eighth minute through a goal by Havertz. Havertz directed Ziyech’s pass to the post. In the 63rd minute, Pulisic doubled Chelsea’s lead.
Earlier, Kovacic was out in the 51st minute and Ziyech in the 60th minute due to injury. Injuries have increased Ziyech and Kovacic’s chances of losing the English League Cup (EFL) final against Liverpool on Sunday.
