Romelu Lukaku has apologized to Chelsea fans for his statements in an interview with Sky Sport Italia. In the interview, the Belgian openly stated, among other things, that he was dissatisfied with his situation in the London club – something he later regrets.
– I’m sorry for the outrage I caused, Lukaku said in a video that Chelsea published in their own channels.
After being poked from the match squad in the big meeting with Liverpool last time, the matter now seems to be investigated. Because when Chelsea hosted Tottenham in the league cup on Wednesday night, Romelu Lukaku is with us from the start.
– We can listen to the interview 100 times, it will not make things better. We can shift focus and accept that it happened. We have enough reasons to continue to be positive and protect him. He is a key player and we want him to be a key player in the team, Thomas Tuchel told Sky Sports before the match.
At home at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea took the lead early. Japhet Tanganga missed a pass on his own half, after which Marco Alonso was able to free Kai Havertz. From a free position in the penalty area, Havertz made no mistake but placed 1-0.
With just over ten minutes left in the first half, Tanganga was once again involved in a setback. On a post-free kick, the Spurs defender nodded the ball straight at Ben Davies, whereupon the ball rolled into his own goal.
Inferior with two at halftime, but after the half-time break, Tottenham played themselves up in the pursuit of an equalizer. However, the Spurs were never close to upsetting the London rival. Chelsea won the match 2-0 and emerged victorious from the first of two semi-final meetings in the League Cup.
After the match, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel commented on the fact that Romelu Lukaku was back in the team.
– Well, (he was) absolutely happy. I’m pretty sure he was not affected. Even in recent days, he has seemed relaxed, okay with the situation and mentally moved on. Romelu can handle pressure and adversity, it was a good achievement. He contributed a lot to our defense and had chances, says Tuchel according to the BBC.
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech was pleased with the victory over the London rival.
– It was a good performance by the team. Strong first half, second half was a bit up and down. 2-0, we can be happy about that, says Ziyech to Sky Sports and continues:
– We put pressure on them, did not give them space or time. They created chances too, but we created better chances. We forgot to puncture the match. But hopefully we can get the job done there (in return).
The return will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Wednesday, 12 January.
Startelvor:
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga – Azpilicueta, Rüdiger, Sarr, Alonso – Mount, Jorginho, Ñiguez – Ziyech, Lukaku, Havertz.
Tottenham: Lloris – Tanganga, Sanchez, Davies – Emerson, Højbjerg, Skipp, Doherty – Lucas, Kane, Son.
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