Blues win but Lukaku makes a mere 7 touches

LONDON • Thomas Tuchel conceded Romelu Lukaku "wasn't involved" after the Chelsea striker touched the ball just seven times during the 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Tuchel's side made a winning return to Premier League action after securing the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi the previous week.

They took the points at Selhurst Park thanks to Hakim Ziyech's 89th-minute volley.

But it was former Inter Milan star Lukaku's anonymous display which was the centre of attention.

He managed the fewest touches in a top-flight game for a player who played 90 minutes since Opta started collecting data in the 2003-04 season.

Lukaku had scored twice in the Club World Cup to reach 10 goals for Chelsea since his £97.5 million (S$178.5 million) club-record return to Stamford Bridge last year.

However, the 28-year-old has not netted in the Premier League since December, when he gave a controversial interview that featured criticism of the way he was being used at Chelsea and hinted he wanted to rejoin Inter.

Tuchel opted against criticising Lukaku but offered little defence of his latest flop.

"I am not so sure if I have a good answer to your question. I don't know what it says. It says he was obviously not involved and could not make a point.

"I am not sure if it says so much about us in general," Tuchel said. "We look a bit drained, a bit exhausted, and you can see everybody tries hard."

After beating Palmeiras in Abu Dhabi, Chelsea had a full week to get ready for Palace but Tuchel insisted that their preparation was far from normal.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi sustained injuries in training on Friday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE