Thomas Tuchel has explained he substituted a ‘tired’ Romelu Lukaku against Brentford as he sought to find a solution to Brentford’s intense pressure late on in their Premier League clash.
Ben Chilwell’s first-half strike was enough to seal victory over the Blues in west London on Saturday evening but they were clinging on in the final third of the match.
Edouard Mendy made a string of vital saves to keep the hosts at bay, with Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah impressing at the back in the absence of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
Lukaku, who saw a first-half effort ruled out for offside, was replaced with 13 minutes of the game left, having now failed to score in his last four games.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tuchel explained he felt he had to replace the Belgian but insists he has no concerns over his form.
Altogether we did a very strong 60 to 75 minutes, including Romelu and Timo. I am not concerned as I felt him a bit tired and then isolated because we were defending as a block too deep.
‘Both of then, Timo and Romelu, were too far away to help us and escape the pressure.
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