A dominant Chelsea secured a place in the Champions League knockout stages when youngsters Trevor Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner scored to beat Juventus 4-0 in Tuesday’s match at Stamford Bridge.
Player of the match Chalobah, 22, marked his first Champions League start for Chelsea when he scored with a half volley from Hakim Ziyech’s corner kick in the 25th minute.
“It meant a lot, as I said as a young kid, I used to watch Champions League so now being involved has been very emotional,” he told BT Sport.
As a player who came from Chelsea youth academy, he is a role model for many young footballers.
“For me I just had to set an example for the younger kids coming up. It is hard when they are younger but hard work pays off. Keep going and believe in yourself,” he said.
Evergreen Thiago Silva, 37, made an impressive clearance when he chased back to hook the ball back off the line in the 29th minute, denying Juventus an equalizing goal.
Right-back James, 21, who is the Blue’s top goalscorer this season, controlled the ball with his chest before shooting a powerful half volley across the goal and into the left-hand side of the net in the 56th minute.
Hudson-Odoi scored from just outside the six-yard box after controlling a pass from Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the 58th minute.
Werner, 25, scored the final goal in the added fourth minute of injury time when he received a low-cross from Ziyech in the box.
It was Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s 50th game in charge, which was celebrated with another clean sheet for the side, taking the number up to 31.
He has also set the record for the least number of goals conceded, with only 24 since he became manager.
He told BT Sport: “We were sharper, we were more determined, we took more risks in the areas of the pitch where it is necessary to take risks, and that increased the rhythm, and that increased the intensity.”
Last year’s champions of the Champions League Chelsea hadn’t beaten Juventus since February 2009, but this victory secures the side a place in the next round, and levels them on 12 points with Juventus in Group H.
Despite a 4-0 loss, Juventus remain safe, having already qualified for the last 16 following four consecutive wins in the competition this season.
Chelsea will go on to play Zenit Saint Petersburg in two weeks whilst Juventus will play Malmö.
