Thomas Tuchel outwits Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola to set stage for Kai Havertz to deliver Champions League glory for Chelsea
Chelsea turned a season of turmoil into the ultimate triumph as Kai Havertz’s ice-cool finish sunk City.
Mount’s inch-perfect assist stunned domestic double-winners City at the Estadio do Dragao, as Chelsea claimed their second Champions League title to etch boss Tuchel’s name into the Stamford Bridge annals.
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Hide AdKevin De Bruyne suffered a facial injury on a wretched night for the stellar Belgium star, who will be an immediate injury doubt for the European Championships.
Pep Guardiola fielded a surprise pivotless midfield in a bid to catch out Tuchel and the Blues, but the move backfired and City paid the toughest price.
When Chelsea paid Bayer Leverkusen £70m for Havertz last summer eyebrows were raised in some quarters, but Chelsea were convinced of the 21-year-old’s pure talent.
And now the classy forward has ended a testing campaign that included a battle with Covid-19 with a goal of the utmost quality – on the highest stage and at the perfect time.
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Hide AdIn just 124 days Tuchel has transformed Frank Lampard’s muddled men into mean tactical machines – and now champions of Europe.
Guardiola has spent five years honing City for European dominance, but that frustrating wait goes on.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss last won the Champions League in 2011, the year before Chelsea’s first European triumph.
Guardiola will keep grinding, but Tuchel has quickly built up something of an Indian sign over City’s Catalan coach.
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Hide AdChelsea’s third win over City in six weeks clearly ranks most highly, but also cements Tuchel’s arrival as a genuine tactical master.
The 47-year-old arrived from Paris St Germain in January with a fiery reputation, but has reinvented himself as a taskmaster with a joyful spirit and a tendency to tease the best from his players.
Tuchel insisted he did not fear the brevity of his 18-month contract on his arrival at Chelsea and on Saturday night revealed he enjoyed the “best moment” to meet owner Roman Abramovich for the first time – on the Estadio do Dragao pitch.
Now the former Paris St Germain manager hopes to extend his Stamford Bridge terms, and admitted he will “demand” to be a part of driving Chelsea onwards.
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Hide AdAsked whether he will be able to wrap up a new deal, Tuchel replied: “I’m not even 100 per cent sure, but maybe I have a new contract now.
“So let’s check this first. I spoke to the owner right now on the pitch, this was the best moment for a first meeting. Or the worst, because from now on it can only get worse!
“I can assure him that I will stay hungry, that I want the next title and I feel absolutely happy, as a part of a really ambitious club, a strong part of a strong group.”
Just as in Munich nine years ago, so now Chelsea had to battle for Champions League glory the hard way.
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Hide AdFor that breakthrough triumph in 2012, Andre Villas-Boas had to fall on his sword before Roberto Di Matteo could oversee a stunning penalties victory over Bayern Munich. Jump forward all but a decade, and again the Blues are champions of Europe – in another season where two men have taken the Stamford Bridge helm.
Former boss Lampard will sit back somewhere with a wry smile at events, doubtless delighted for his club – but also surely with regrets not to be in the dugout.
Lampard failed to blend the £220million-worth of summer transfer talent though, and paid with his job in January.
And so in came Tuchel, the demanding and discerning German, on a clear brief to generate immediate results. The spectacular transformation has owed as much to sharp tactical acumen as shrewd people management.
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Hide AdAny fears of a tight affair were immediately dispelled in an open first half that gave way to a rigid Chelsea performance in the second. Timo Werner missed two sitters before Havertz raced on to Mount’s defence-splitting ball, rounded Ederson and scored.
Christian Pulisic had a golden chance to cement Chelsea’s advantage when played in by Havertz, only to scythe his dinked effort well wide.
Mount gushed at the end: “At this moment in time, we’re the best team in the world and you can’t take that away from us.”
It was just not City’s night. Even when Guardiola threw on Fernandinho to anchor midfield and unleashed strikers Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero they could still barely muster a shot on target.
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Hide AdGuardiola defended selecting Ilkay Gundogan as a holding midfielder, despite the switch causing his side clear problems.
He said: “I did my best in the selection. I made the best selection to win the game, the players know it. I think Gundogan played well.
“I would like to say it was an exceptional, exceptional season for us. It is a big dream being here, but unfortunately we couldn’t win. We tried, we could not do it, and we will work to come back one day.”
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