Havertz scored in just five touches - no wonder Romelu Lukaku has been dropped

Kai Havertz did it in just five touches.

The Chelsea forward scored after just eight minutes in fewer touches than the seven Romelu Lukaku managed in the whole of 90 minutes at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

No wonder then Thomas Tuchel left Lukaku on the bench and put Havertz up front to show how it is done - and reaped the rewards as Chelsea have now got one foot in the quarter finals.

Christian Pulisic clinched victory with a second as Chelsea's forward line came up trumps against a Lille side who, by the end, looked out of their depth.

Yet never before have we been quite so obsessed about how many touches a player takes in a game but Havertz seems to make them count in the big games. He managed 46 in total against Lille and he delivered again.

Havertz scored the winner in the Champions League final last May, the decisive and winning penalty against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final and now helping Tuchel to prove his point.

Germany forward Havertz glides across the pitch, Chelsea can look better and more fluid with him in attack rather than rely on Lukaku as the focal point of attack and yet it does still leave Tuchel with a £97.5m headache.

But who needs Lukaku when you have got Havertz? Tuchel said all the right things about supporting Lukaku before the game but ultimately did not trust his misfiring, out-of-form record signing to see off Lille. Tuchel brought on four subs, but Lukaku barely warmed up.

That says it all about how Tuchel views Lukaku right now and the Chelsea No9 not only has to convince his manager but also dislodge Havertz who gave Lille's defence a torrid night.

Thiago Silva also rolled back the years again as the 37-year-old veteran showed his class and wonderful ability to play the game at his own pace.

Lille won Ligue 1 last season, are stranded in 11th place this time and their front trio of Jonathan David, Jonathan Bamba and Renato Sanches never looked like finding a way through.

Incredibly, Chelsea are the first side to win five consecutive home Champions League matches without conceding since Real Madrid in May 2016 (six in a row). They are the first English side to ever achieve that feat in either the European Cup or Champions League.

Chelsea are all about defensive stability rather than attacking flair right now and they have become a cup team under Tuchel, winning the Champions League, European Super Cup, Club World Cup and are in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.

Havertz wasted a glorious chance after just four minutes but Chelsea did not have to wait much longer for the opener. Havertz forced a fine save from Lille keeper Leo Jardim.

And from the resulting corner, Hakim Ziyech put over a cross and there was Havertz to head home. The Opta statisticians said it was his fifth touch. Another touch of genius.

Chelsea were largely in control but it was not until Pulisic's all-important second after 63 minutes that the game was put to bed. N'Golo Kante made a surging run, Pulisic lifted the ball over Jardim and it was job done.

Chelsea's biggest problem ended up being the sight of both Mateo Kovacic and Ziyech going off injured in the second half just five days before the Carabao Cup final.