There was little in the way of celebration from Chelsea's players after the final whistle was blown against Al Hilal. Romelu Lukaku, the match-winner, was hunched over. Mateo Kovacic too. The rest simply went through the usual post-match routine. There was little indication the Blues had reached yet another final.
Perhaps that was because Chelsea had been pushed very hard by Al Hilal during the Club World Cup semi-final. The CAF Champions League winners certainly made it difficult for Thomas Tuchel's side. They couldn't simply go through the motions.
Lukaku's 32nd-minute goal proved enough for the Blues to progress to Saturday's final against Palmeiras. Win that and Chelsea will have claimed every trophy possible since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.
