Chelsea confirmed their place in the quarter finals of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 4-1 aggregate win over Lille.
The Blues took a 2-0 lead over the Ligue 1 side into the second leg in France thanks to first leg goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic. And although Lille gave themselves a fighting chance at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Wednesday with Burak Yilmaz's first-half penalty, it was Chelsea who eventually prevailed.
Pulisic levelled the scores on the night with an equaliser in first-half injury time, before Cesar Azpilicueta gave Chelsea the lead and ensured the Blues headed towards the last eight of Europe’s premier club competition. But the performances of one player in particular are catching the eye of pundits and fans alike in recent times.
Despite not getting on the scoresheet himself this time around, Havertz put in another impressive display in France. The 22-year-old led the line for the Blues against the Ligue 1 champions before being replaced by Hakim Ziyech with less than ten minutes to go in the contest.
And when asked about his style of play before the clash with Lille, former Chelsea and England midfielder and now BT Sport pundit Joe Cole said Havertz is mastering the role of leading the line for the Blues. "I’m so impressed with him,” he said.
“He’s playing the number nine role like a seasoned, centre-forward. His timing, his aggressive movement. What he does well, which I thought was a problem for him due to his midfield tendencies, is try and come for the ball."
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“All good centre-forwards think how they can lose their markers, but he’s brilliant at it," he continued. Cole's sentiment was shared by fellow BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who also had plenty of kind words to say about the German forward when speaking about his recent display against Newcastle.
Havertz’s coolly taken finish in the 89th minute proved to be the difference between the two sides at Stamford Bridge last Sunday. "The streets liven up when you see goals like that,” said Ferdinand. “It is like a Berbatov, Robin van Persie touch, how slick it is, velcro vibes on the edge of his toe and an exquisite finish. I love watching him play."
Sunday’s win leaves Chelsea in third place in the Premier League table, eight ahead of fourth placed Arsenal, and ten behind Liverpool in second. Following Wednesday’s win, the Blues will now wait to find out who they will face next in the next round of the Champions League.
The draw for the quarter-final, semi-final and final is set to take place on Friday in its usual setting in Nyon, Switzerland. The upcoming draws will be open, meaning there will be no seeding nor country protection, thus any club can be drawn against any other team.
Liverpool and Manchester City will be joining Chelsea in the quarter-final, alongside Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Benfica and Villarreal.
