LONDON — Chelsea spent last season searching for a clinical goal scorer to help sustain a Premier League title challenge. Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United will raise fears they are still looking.
The answer appeared to be Romelu Lukaku, signed in the summer from Inter Milan for €115 million — a premium price justified by his expected immediate impact — yet the Belgium striker, fit again after an ankle injury, played only the final eight minutes of this game, with Chelsea chasing a winner.
It is both a sign that Lukaku is not yet match sharp, but the lack of urgency to introduce him is perhaps also an indication that manager Thomas Tuchel considers his team at least as potent at present without the former United striker, who has four goals in 12 appearances since rejoining the club.
But while Lukaku’s absence and indifferent form has left others to step up — Chelsea have had 17 different scorers in all competitions this season — it makes tasks such as converting territory and possession into goals more difficult when lacking a sharp finisher at the top end of the pitch.
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United’s conservative approach made this resemble the sort of test at home to a mid-table team that title challengers routinely pass, and it was technically true, given United’s recent travails left them sitting in 10th place at kickoff.
As if to underline the point, Tuchel referenced the same result against Burnley at the beginning of the month when ruing a missed opportunity — “Was it two points dropped? Yes, for sure,” he said afterward — to repeat what Liverpool (5-0) and Man City (2-0) have done in recent weeks and take full advantage of United’s vulnerability.
Chelsea dominated the ball and registered 24 shots, but required a Jorginho penalty midway through the second half to find a way past David De Gea, the Italian midfielder cancelling out…
Source : espn
