It’s beautifully worked goal involving two beautiful players in Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante.
The Brazilian helps to break up a move deep in the Chelsea half, and picks out the French midfielder with a crisp pass.
It’s then over to Kante to do what he does so well. Accelerating away from Xeka, he drives forward over the halfway line and towards the Lille box.
Backing off and backing off, the visiting defenders finally make a move towards Kante, who chooses that moment to slip a pass through for Chrisian Pulisic to slide home.
Chelsea’s big game player Kai Havertz has done it again!
Hakim Ziyech floated over the resulting corner from the left, and Havertz pounced at the near post to head down, up, and in.
He scored the winner in the Champions League final, the winner in the Club World Cup final, and now he’s got the Blues up and running in this season’s Round of 16.
That's why Kai Havertz starts!!! Believe in him!!! What a goal. Come on Chelsea!! pic.twitter.com/YFEVlcM5td
There are reports that Crystal Palace are facing a fight to keep Michael Olise this summer.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Lille and Bayern Munich are among those keeping tabs on the exciting 20-year-old Eagle.
Palace pulled off a coup by pipping a number of bigger Prem and European clubs to sign him from Reading in an £8million deal in July.
But the south Londoners are already staring at the prospect of losing him in the next window following his increasingly impressive displays for them this season.
The Hammersmith-born rookie has made just 18 top flight appearances, with 12 of those as a sub.
But the way he has settled seamlessly into Premier League football has kept him on the radar of a number of clubs at home and abroad.
His latest eye-catching performance came in Palace’s 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The reigning European and world champions were among several clubs interested in signing him before Palace swooped last summer.
The Eagles had hoped their capture of Olise would have cooled interest in him. But the France Under-18 international’s rise has resulted in even more clubs courting him.
Neymar has revealed he turned down a move to Real Madrid when he was 12 because he was “too homesick”.
The Brazil international joined Barcelona for €86.2m in 2013 at the age of 21 from Santos, before leaving to join PSG for a world-record €222m in 2017, but previously had the opportunity to join Real Madrid.
“When I was 10 Real Madrid invited me for a try-out,” Neymar said in an interview with former Brazil great Ronaldo Nazario in a podcast on Twitch. “I was thrilled, I was so happy, I watched their practice. It was during the Galacticos era. I watched their game.
“I watched a game and I think all the goals were scored by Brazilians. I think two by Ronaldo, one by Robinho and a free-kick from Julio Baptista and another by Roberto Carlos.
“After the game I got a picture with all of them. I was over the moon. I stayed there for a week, for the try-out. It lasted for four of five days.
“On the fifth day they wanted to take me to a championship being held in Barcelona MIC Cup but I quit. I got really homesick and I wanted to go back home. It was pretty much all set up for me to play at Real Madrid but then I got back. It’s funny because I met Pablo Sarabia playing at PSG and he was there too at Real Madrid back then. He remembers everything, that I was there for a few days and then I left.”
Former Chelsea triker Alvaro Morata has revealed how Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri convinced him to stay Juventus and that if it were up to him he would always remain with the Bianconeri.
Morata returned to the Allianz Stadium in September 2020 and is in the second season of a loan from Atletico Madrid.
During last month’s January transfer window Morata was linked with a LaLiga return, with Barcelona reported to have been interested in his signature.
Such speculation only mounted with Juve spending big to land Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina.
Asked about Barca’s interest, Morata – speaking at a news conference previewing Juve’s Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Villarreal – said: “It’s not important.
“We talked with the coach during the transfer window, about his ideas, and he told me the arrival of Dusan would help me and that has been the case. I’m happy to be here.
“If it depended on me, I would always stay here.”
Morata went on to explain how influential Allegri was in convincing him to stay in Turin.
“I have always felt his confidence, since we started working together. He is the first to ask me things, but he knows what I am and what I am not.
“He told me that I had to stay and that he trusted me. Now I have to give everything to return his trust.”
Vlahovic moved to Juve in an €80million deal and Morata spoke about how his arrival has lifted Juve’s squad.
“He has given us all extra energy,” he said.
“You can see in his eyes how much Dusan is looking forward to tomorrow’s match. He only brings positive things.
“He is young and he has a wonderful career ahead of him. He’s adapted right away.”
