Before Hakim Ziyech’s first goal was disallowed at Selhurt Park, and while his teammates sprinted to the corner flag to celebrate, Romelu Lukaku turned to the home supporters in the main stand and raised a shushing finger to his lips. If it was an attempt to silence his critics, it was fittingly short-lived. As the VAR official intervened, the stadium erupted and jeered and, although Chelsea did eventually snatch a victory that was closer to an act of theft, it will have brought Lukaku little personal redemption.
After all, in a Chelsea team built successfully and scrupulously in Thomas Tuchel’s image, Lukaku’s torment against Crystal Palace felt distinctly individual. Chugging and cut adrift up front, he was isolated, unavailable and slipping over the horizon as play unfolded behind him. And in the rare moments when Lukaku wasn’t anchored to Joachim Andersen, he was becoming increasingly frustrated with every failed run, chasing a vision his teammates are struggling to see, let alone enact. Lukaku’s contribution of just seven touches in ninety minutes set a new and miserable Premier League record. Even Tuchel was at a loss to explain it. “I’m not so sure if I have a good answer,” he said when informed of the statistic. “I don’t know what it says. It says he was obviously not involved and could not make a point today.”
