Captain Cesar leads Chelsea to first victory of Tuchel era

Chelsea notched up their first win under Thomas Tuchel on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Burnley thanks to goals by Spanish defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso who have both been given a chance to shine under the German coach.

Azpilicueta, restored to Chelsea’s starting line up by Tuchel in his two games since replacing Frank Lampard, scored with an angled shot in the 40th minute after sprinting 80 yards to be fed by winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Alonso, playing in the league for the first time since September, secured the win in the 84th minute when he controlled a pass from Christian Pulisic with his chest and knee before swivelling to hit a shot past Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Hudson-Odoi, another who has featured prominently under Chelsea’s new German manager, and fellow Chelsea academy product Mason Mount were at the heart the Blues’ best moves as they tried to turn their dominance of possession into more goals.

The youngsters’ form contrasts with the struggles of the club’s two expensive German signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz who pose Tuchel’s most immediate challenge. Werner wasted a good early chance for Chelsea while Havertz was dropped to the bench and only came on for the last 10 minutes.

The win pushed Chelsea – who drew 0-0 last week against Wolves in Tuchel’s first game – up to seventh in the Premier League standings, 11 points behind leaders Manchester City. Burnley slipped to 16th place.

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 © Reuters