Chelsea vs Juventus 4-0: Bianconeri Trampled at Stamford

To put it simply, Juventus were no match for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Thomas Tuchel’s side remembered themselves that they are the incumbent European Champions and honored their Champions League test with a sumptuous 4-0 win over Max Allegri’s Bianconeri.

It was a brutal wake-up call for Juventus, who succumbed to goals from Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner to surrender the first spot in Champions League Group H. They never appeared capable of threatening the Blues, who could also afford keeping their hitman Romelu Lukaku on the bench for the whole game.

Chelsea Pressure Bears Fruit in Controversial Fashion

Thomas Tuchel was clear yesterday in his pre-match remarks: Chelsea wanted to grab the first place in the group. Their approach to the game stayed true to their boss’ words as the home side pushed Juventus back in their own half and accumulated a a ball possession percentage that peaked at 63%.

In such conditions, it seemed just a matter of time before the Blues would turn their dominance into a lead, even though Chelsea’s opener came in a controversial fashion. 

From a corner kick on 25 minutes, Antonio Rudiger touched the ball with his hand before delivering it to Trevoh Chalobah, whose swift volley left no chance to the Juventus goalkeeper. The Bianconeri were furious but the referee didn’t want to hear it.

Juventus had the merit to react fast and indeed should have had their equalizer. From a fine Manuel Locatelli service that picked Morata past the Chelsea defensive line, the Spanish striker lobbed the ball past Ferland Mendy with a soft touch. However, he found Thiago Silva on his way, who showed that, at 37 years of age, he is still one of the best defenders in the world with an acrobatic clearance right on the goal line.

It was a short illusion, though. On 36 minutes, a fantastic save from Wojciech Szczesny defused Reece James’ shot from the right side that seemed destined to end its run into the back of the net. Then, just before half time, some fine defending from Leonardo Bonucci anticipated Callum Hudson-Odoi, well picked in the box by Jorginho.

James, Hudson-Odoi and Werner Round Up the Scoring

The second half followed the same pattern and the match outcome soon became clear as Chelsea powered a deadly one-two in the space a few minutes that definitely knocked down Juventus. 

After Bonucci and Matthijs De Ligt somehow managed to block an Hudson-Ooi effort, Tuchel’s side found their second goal of the night with James, who fired another shot to which Szczesny had no answer this time. Then, on 57 minutes, Hudson-Odoi finally made it to the scorecard himself, finalizing a one-touch Chelsea offensive in the middle of the box that found little opposition from the shell-shocked Bianconeri defense.

At that point, Juventus could only do damage control, which they managed to do until added time – even though it took another save from Szczesny on Hakim Ziyech to prevent more misery for the Old Lady. But then, from their very last action, Chelsea had their fourth with substitute Timo Werner, who made the best of a Ziyech assist.

Massimiliano Allegri’s only moves resulted in some playing time for Paulo Dybala, who could thus continue his injury-recovery process, and for 19-year-old Belgian starlet Koni De Winter, who made his debut in black-and-white.

What’s Next for Chelsea and Juventus

Chelsea avenged the loss suffered in the reverse fixture in an emphatic fashion and, moreover, conquered the top spot in Group H, which potentially means an easier pairing in the Champions League knockout stage.

Since losing to Juventus in September, the Blues entered a winning streak that is still open at nine games and counting. The loss at the Allianz Stadium was a real turning point in their season. The only bad news for Tuchel were the injuries occurred to N’Golo Kanté and Ben Chilwell – the latter left the pitch limping. 

Juventus, on the other hand, came back to earth after four Champions League wins in a row. Their setback was sounding and added to the woes of a team that doesn’t seem to be able to find consistency this season. They will not have time to lower their guard further, though, as their next Serie A game is with Atalanta – a club with a mindset as offensive as Tuchel’s Chelsea. 

 

MATCH SCORECARD

November 23, 2021 – Champions League 2021-2022 Group H
CHELSEA – JUVENTUS 4-0

SCORER: 25′ Chalobah, 55′ James, 58′ Hudson-Odoi, 95′ Werner

REFEREE: Jovanovic (Serbia)
NOTES: Yellow Card: Cuadrado (J); Added Time: 1st Half 1′, 2nd Half 6′