Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku registered both of his side’s goals in their 2-2 draw with Wolves on Saturday afternoon, providing him with just the confidence booster he needed.
This boost comes seven days prior to their FA Cup final clash with Liverpool next weekend as they look to get revenge on Jurgen Klopp’s men for their Carabao Cup final woes back in February.
This time, with his third domestic cup final in just over a year, Thomas Tuchel will be desperate to get his hands on some more silverware.
Chelsea’s recent record resembles more of a mid-table side’s run, having lost to Arsenal, Everton and Brentford in April and May.
As such, their confidence going into this upcoming tie with Liverpool will not be at its highest.
One note of positivity that Tuchel’s men should take from their recent results however, is the notable return of Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Wolves marked the Belgian striker’s second start in the league since February as well as his first Premier League goal of 2022.
Despite remaining quiet for much of the first half, Lukaku came to life in the second half, winning himself a penalty which he calmly slotted past Jose Sa.
Two minutes later, he latched on to Christian Pulisic’s pass to rifle the ball past Sa into the bottom corner from outside the box.
While a number of disappointing stats have characterised Lukaku’s season at Stamford Bridge so far, their clash against Wolves was anything but.
Against Bruno Lage’s men, the Belgian talisman registered his side’s most number of touches in the opposition box with a total of 10, he registered four shots, three of which were on target and he finished the game with 85% pass accuracy.
In recent weeks, Lukaku has been shafted from a first place spot with the Blues with Tuchel settling on a regular front three of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner.
As a result, Lukaku’s only performances in recent weeks have come off the substitute bench and he has struggled to have much of an impact.
During his dry spell that had seen him register no league goals in 2022 until Saturday, ESPN reported that Tuchel believed his club are a ‘more potent force’ without their Belgian striker in the squad.
Lukaku remains, however, his side’s top scorer, having netted 14 goals in a total of 41 appearances – a disappointing drop from his 30 goals in 44 games with Inter Milan last season.
With his confidence at rock bottom, a strong performance against Wolves that saw him grab the headlines may have been the boost he needed, which could provide Chelsea with some much-needed momentum as they head towards their FA Cup final tie this coming weekend.
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