Thomas Tuchel Says Why He Benched Lukaku Against Crystal Palace

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that he benched Romelu Lukaku against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday because the Belgium international is not match fit.

Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 at Wembley Stadium, with Tuchel starting Timo Werner ahead of Lukaku.

Chelsea defeated Palace thanks to two second-half goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount.

During his press conference, Tuchel said “He is not fit enough for the intensity of our game in an FA Cup semi-final.

“It is not easy to come into a game such as this with so much riding on it after a spell out with injury.

“It is just a case of him not having as much minutes recently as the other players, his match fitness is not quite there otherwise, there is a big chance that he would have started today.”