Chelsea took control of its 2021-22 UEFA Champions League round of 16 matchup with Lille on Tuesday, winning the first leg 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in London.
Goals by Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic secured the victory for the Blues, who limited their French opposition to just two shots on target (from 15 total shots).
Havertz got the scoring underway early, heading home a Hakim Ziyech cross in the eighth minute to give the home side the lead. It looked as though the quick opening goal would lead to a Chelsea rout, but Lille managed to settle the game down and take control during stretches of play.
However, the French champions' possession play didn't lead to much in the way of scoring chances as they lacked a cutting edge in the final third. Lille's tentative attack came in stark contrast to Chelsea's, which looked to play directly whenever gaining possession.
True to form, the Blues found their second goal from a counterattack straight down the middle of the field. The hosts wasted little time in moving the ball upfield after Lille turned it over near the top of the Chelsea penalty area in the 63rd minute, with N'Golo Kante charging through the heart of the Lille defence before dishing a pass to Pulisic just inside the visitors' 18-yard box. Pulisic made no mistake in chipping the ball over onrushing Lille goalkeeper Leo Jardim, effectively ending the match with nearly 30 minutes left to play.
Already challenged for ideas in the attacking half of the field, the two-goal deficit did little to encourage any threatening play from Lille. Instead, Chelsea was able to comfortably defend the 2-0 advantage through to the final whistle, setting up the second leg in France that will see the Premier League giant in the driver's seat for advancement.