Chelsea 4-0 Juventus: 5 hits and flops as Blues crush the Bianconeri to go top of the group | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Chelsea routed Juventus 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on matchday five in the Champions League.
Goals from Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Timo Werner condemned the Bianconeri to their first European defeat of the season.
The holders were in cruise control right from the off, pushing the Serie A giants on the backfoot with their frightening attacking potential.
With more possession (55% - 45%), more passes (509 - 438), and more shots (21 - 8), the Blues made mincemeat of their mighty visitors.
Massimiliano Allegri will be particularly irked by his side's defense, which was all over the place again tonight, compounded by some individual errors too.
▪️ Destroyed Juventus 4-0 to go top of their group and qualify for the last 16
▪️ Top of the Premier League
▪️ Champions of Europe
Chelsea are loving life right now 🥳 https://t.co/S0YPwoy8tG
Courtesy of such a huge victory, Chelsea are now in control of Group H, sitting ahead of Juventus on goal-difference with just one game remaining.
Here are the hits and flops from the match:
Hit: Reece James (Chelsea)
Sky's the limit for Reece James, who had another stormer for Chelsea tonight. He capped it off with a fine strike from a tight angle, his fifth goal of the season in all competitions!
Adventurous, pacy, and direct, the 21-year-old was a live wire down the right flank. He took the game to Juventus with a high press while making excellent recoveries too.
Reece James has now been directly involved in 10 goals for Chelsea this season:
👕 14 games
⚽️ 5 goals
🅰️ 5 assists
The man cannot be stopped. #UCL https://t.co/2ykh81B9Il
However, this match was all about his finish. The Blues full-back smashed a ferocious strike into the bottom corner from a tight angle on the right to double Chelsea's advantage.
Flop: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Juventus were all over the place in defense tonight, while their midfield didn't cover itself in much glory either, with Rodrigo Bentancur particularly sloppy and in no man's land.
Once an impenetrable fortress guarding the back-four with immense solidity, the Uruguayan has become more of an internet meme these days for his poor showings.
Bentancur playing for Chelsea.
Against Chelsea, too, he struggled to get on the ball and was also caught out in the second half. It nearly led to a second Chelsea goal, prompting Allegri to take him off soon after.