Chelsea 4-0 Juventus: Key Talking Points As The European Champions Put On A Stamford Bridge Romp

On a night that was billed as a crucial showdown in Group H, Chelsea managed to book their spot in the knockout stage of this year’s Champions League with a thumping 4-0 win against Juventus.

Laying down what was a real marker at Stamford Bridge, the defending European champions breezed their way past Tuesday’s guests as Thomas Tuchel’s men enjoyed a night to remember in west London.

With their homegrown academy stars really stealing all of the headlines, we have taken a look at the main talking points as Chelsea hit the Old Lady for four and brought an end their Champions League romp.

A domestic & European double for Chelsea?

While Chelsea might have entered the international break with a 1-1 draw at home against Burnley, the Blues have only marked their return to action with what has been a statement of intent.

Impressing many across the Premier League last weekend as they landed a thumping 3-0 win against Leicester on the road, Tuchel’s men only went one step further on Tuesday night.

Suffering a 1-0 loss when they made the trip out to Turin for their reverse meeting against Juventus back in September, the former PSG boss saw his side take a more than deserved lead as Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring after 25 minutes.

Asked few questions and not having to get out of third gear for large spells, Tuchel was quick to praise his side’s stellar display on what was his 50th game in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Only laying down another Champions League marker as Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner bagged a trio of second-half strikes, Chelsea could have their sights set on clinching a domestic and European double this season.

While Tuesday’s hosts might have seen both N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell limp off with injury issues, Tuchel couldn’t have wished for a better night in west London.

Juventus come crashing back down to earth

After opening the 2021/22 campaign by failing to win any of their first four Serie A contests, their worst run in 60 years, many around Turin were worried about what this season could hold for the former Italian champions.

However, marker their return from the international break with an eye-catching 2-0 win away at Lazio, the Old Lady would have been desperate to keep up that momentum on Tuesday night.

Despite making the trip to Stamford Bridge by winning each of their opening four Group H contests, returning boss Massimiliano Allegri saw his side fail to lay any kind of blow on the defending European champions.

With one-time Chelsea misfit Alvaro Morata having his effort acrobatically cleared off the line by Thiago Silva midway through the first-half, Juventus’ traveling support had little to cheer about in the English capital.

With attacking talisman Paolo Dybala having to settle for a spot on the bench, Allegri’s side must dust themselves down if they’re to regain their spot at the top of Group H.

Watching Chelsea move into pole position, the Old Lady will sign off their group stage run when they welcome Malmo to Turin on December 8th.

Chelsea’s academy stars steal the show

While Chelsea fans would have been hugely excited to have booked their spot in the knockout stage of this year’s Champions League, there is no doubt that they would have been more glad to have seen their academy graduates take center stage.

Along with Chalobah opening the scoring on what was his first Champions League start, James once again underlined why many have started to regard him as one of the best wing-backs in European football.

Producing a driven finish across former Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczęsny and bagging his fourth goal in his last five matchups across all competitions, another of Chelsea’s homegrown stars didn’t have to wait long to get in on the act.

Finishing off a well-worked move as Hudson-Odoi poked home from close range just three minutes after James’ second-half strike, the former Bayern Munich target also made his seventh straight start for the first time in his Chelsea career on Tuesday night.

In fact, with Chalobah, James and Hudson-Odoi all getting themselves on the scoresheet, that was just the third time in Champions League history that three different English players have scored in a single game.

Match Report:

Chelsea: Mendy, Chalobah, Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Jorginho, Chilwell, Ziyech, Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic

Subs: Werner, Loftus-Cheek, Azpillicueta, Saul, Mount

Juventus: Szczesny, Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro, Rabior, Locatelli, Bentancur, McKennie, Chiesa, Morata

Subs: De Winter, Kulusevski, Dybala, Arthur

Goals: Chalobah 25′, James 55′, Hudson-Odoi 58′, Werner 90+5′

Yellow Cards: Cuadrado

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Srdjan Jovanovic