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Thomas Tuchel praised the performance of the returning Romelu Lukaku after Chelsea’s EFL Cup win over Tottenham.
The Blues took a huge step towards reaching the final after claiming a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the last-four tie at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku was restored to the starting line-up after he was left out of the squad for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool due to comments made in the Italian media.
The former Inter striker was quoted as saying he was “not very happy with the situation” he finds himself in, while expressing a desire to return to the Nerazzurri one day.
However, the Belgium international subsequently apologised to Tuchel, as well as the fans on the club’s official website.
He played the full 90 minutes against Spurs – recording game-high tallies of three shots on goal and two on target – and the head coach was pleased with his contribution under difficult circumstances.
Asked what he made of Lukaku’s performance, he told Sky Sports: “Good, absolutely happy. I was pretty sure he was not affected.
“I see him on a daily basis. Even the last days, he seemed relaxed, fine with the situation and mentally moved on.
“Romelu can handle pressure and adversity. It was a good performance; he contributed a lot to our defensive setup and had chances.”
Tuchel also praised the focus and commitment of his players, although he believes they could have increased their margin of victory.
“It seems like a deserved win, an excellent result because it reflects the game,” he added. “We could have scored more, but it is hard to score against Tottenham.
“We did create a lot – some huge chances – it could have been possible to score more.
“We never lost the focus; [we] never lost the commitment.”
