It took 13 minutes and one second for Kai Havertz to produce the eighth action of a sterling performance that had already provided the game’s opening goal. And on an evening where the result was mildly overshadowed by injuries to Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech, the headline takeaway was that head coach Thomas Tuchel saw his decision to shuffle the attack rewarded handsomely as a player who has a penchant for rising to the occasion offered clarity around the issue that has threatened to derail Chelsea’s campaign.
A penny for the thoughts of Romelu Lukaku as he departs Stamford Bridge this evening. Dropped to the substitutes’ bench following a performance that brought the unwanted record of the lowest involvements of any player in 90 minutes of Premier League football against Crystal Palace on Saturday, here he witnessed Havertz not only score a fine header but offer far more verve and industry.
The collective performance was imperfect but on the evidence of this outing against a game but limited Lille there can be little disputing that in the short-term Chelsea's second-most expensive signing should be favoured over the most expensive.
Watching Havertz remains a curious experience. For a player with such abundant ability, the inconsistency is copiously frustrating. He is a big game player and the goals to crown Chelsea as champions of Europe and the world have more than repaid the £72million transfer fee.
Yet it is fair to expect more, more often. This was Havertz’s seventh goal from 29 appearances so far this season but it should really be more.
There is a tendency for him to make the difficult stuff look easy while struggling to complete the easy stuff. His initial chance, from a low and fast Cesar Azpilicueta cross on the right, was badly mistimed. Five yards out, he really should have scored. But he seems immune to the disappointment of such misses and, unlike Lukaku, the shoulders do not slump and team-mates are rarely bawled at for not providing the desired pass.
If anything, Havertz can appear too unemotional. His languid nature can be deceptive. In the early days, when Frank Lampard tinkered so much to find the right combination for an expensively-assembled attack, some viewers felt Havertz was lazy and did not work hard enough off the ball. Except he regularly covered more distance than anyone apart from the full backs.
Even now there are questions around his best position. At Leverkusen he thrived in a false nine role but often found himself out wide and upon moving to London it was easy to get wrapped up in the possibilities such versatility could bring. But that has also contributed to the inconsistency and so far this season there have been games on both flanks and midfield.
For all the narration around the need for better end product his silkiness cannot be disputed, as displayed when he cut inside after receiving Hakim Ziyech’s through ball before producing the shot that led to the corner from which he scored.
The header itself was well taken, running from deep without being tracked closely by a Lille defender before powering downwards and into the net. Chelsea were ahead early in a tie that they were favoured to win, ensuring a misfiring attack would not be gripped by anxiety.
There was more frequent running down the inside channels and his energy level was constant but a significant part of the Lukaku issue, the bit out of his control, remained on full display. On more than one occasion Hakim Ziyech and Chirstian Pulisic continued in possession instead of playing the ball to an available Havertz.
Approaching the hour mark he produced another scintillating action that it is hard to envisage Lukaku carrying out on current form. Stealing the ball on halfway, Havertz drove forward and, recognising there was an absence of support, shot himself from a tight angle.
The finish was not great, flying over the bar, but the intent and directness enlivened Chelsea after a stodgy spell and within five minutes Pulisic added a chunky layer of comfort.
Havertz had offered the decoy run as N’Golo Kante advanced and had the choice of a German to the right and an American to his left. He opted for the latter and Pulisic’s finish was composed and well taken under pressure.
Barring a late change in French policy, Chelsea’s unvaccinated players will miss the second leg on March 16 but this result should be more than enough to secure the champions’ progress to the quarter-finals. Tuchel’s immediate attention will shift a few miles north to Wembley, where Liverpool’s defence will be a meaner proposition and Havertz must surely be trusted to lead the assault.
