Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy on Saturday night after beating Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time. Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 55th minute when he powered his header past goalkeeper Weverton following some good work from Callum Hudson-Odoi down the left.
But the Brazilian side equalised just nine minutes later.Raphael Vega sent Blues shot-stopper Edouard Mendy the wrong way from the penalty spot after VAR spied that Thiago Silva had handled inside the penalty area.Kai Havertz then won the match for his side from the penalty spot in the 117th minute after Luan blocked Cesar Azpilicueta's goal bound shot with his hand.
Luan was sent off with seconds left of the match after bringing down Havertz as he raced through on goal, again, via VAR.But what role did Thomas Tuchel play in the victory and what did he get right?Although Lukaku has struggled since returning to Chelsea, Tuchel made the most of the towering Belgian forward up against Palmeiras.The Blues consistently played long balls up to the former Inter Milan striker, which in turn kept their opposition on the back foot.Palmeiras were expected to sit deep anyway, but their defenders never looked comfortable keeping tabs on Lukaku.
They couldn’t cope with his power and presence on the edge of their box and looked uneasy when tasked with dispossessing the 28-year-old.
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