Thomas Tuchel gave no guarantees that Romelu Lukaku has a future at Chelsea after dropping the club record signing for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

The European champions were this week rocked when Lukaku stated in an interview with Sky Sport Italia, recorded in December, that he is not happy with the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea.

Tuchel reacted by leaving the striker out of his squad for the Premier League battle between second and third at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea head coach stated before the game that he axed Lukaku because the issue had "got too big and too noisy".

Tuchel did not reveal whether the Belgium international has apologised and says no decision has been made over whether he stays at the club.

The German told Sky Sports: "He's our player. There is always a way back, but we will clear this in Cobham [Chelsea's training facility] behind closed doors and once we have made a decision; club, coach and once Romelu knows, then you will know as well and not before.

"This is not to be discussed now, let's wait some days."

Chelsea stormed back from two goals down after Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah had put Liverpool on course to go second, Mateo Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sublime volley and Christian Pulisic equalising in first-half stoppage time.

Tuchel says Mane should have been sent off by referee Anthony Taylor for catching Cesar Azpilicueta in the face with his arm after only six seconds. 

He said: "If you remember the first game with the same referee and how quick it was to give a red card to us, I am not a friend of early red cards. I hate to say it because I love Mane and he is a nice guy and top player, but it is a red card.

"The elbow is in the face; it doesn't matter if you do this after 20 seconds or 20 minutes. We come from a game against Brighton where we miss VAR calls in the box and suddenly VAR is checking a goal against Kovacic."

Chelsea are 10 points behind leaders Manchester City, with Liverpool a further point back but with a game in hand.

It was a breathless game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw that saw Manchester City emerge as the biggest winners.

An exciting encounter that many will say was a great advert for the Premier League was in reality more an example of why there is unlikely to be any excitement in this year's title race.

Both teams showed immense quality at times, especially in scoring their goals, but also evidenced numerous weaknesses that simply do not exist at City, or at least not to the same extent, though it must be said that both were missing key players through suspension, injury and/or COVID-19 – or were just dropped for talking too much.

The headlines were already being written as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with the Blues' star striker Romelu Lukaku missing from the squad after recent comments that displeased his manager Thomas Tuchel.

But Chelsea came back to level up before half-time without the Belgium international to prove that perhaps they are actually better off without him.

It is something that bears exploring more broadly across the game. Is the impact of number nine's slightly overrated? Tottenham have been unable to win a trophy despite having Harry Kane in their ranks, while Borussia Dortmund seldom look like troubling Bayern Munich even though they have the much sought after Erling Haaland to call on.

Also, for all the talk about how desperately they needed a superstar striker in the summer after Sergio Aguero left, City sit ten points clear at the top of the table with only Gabriel Jesus as a recognised number nine in their ranks, and he rarely plays there himself these days anyway.

Kai Havertz played the role of striker for Chelsea here, as he did for much of last season when they won the Champions League, and though he did not have much impact himself, Tuchel's fluid formation seemed to enable Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante to dominate on the ball from deep in a way they sometimes struggle to when Lukaku is leading the line.

Chelsea have played 13 league games with Lukaku this season and eight without. While their win percentage is better with him (61.5) than without (50), they score 2.5 goals per game when he is not there compared to 1.9 when he is.

Despite two goals going in against Liverpool, they still only concede 0.5 goals per game on average when Lukaku does not feature, and 0.9 per game when he does.

When the former Everton and Manchester United striker said that Tuchel does not play in a way that suits him, it is almost certainly correct given how the team overall appears to function better without the striker, but also calls into question why Chelsea decided to spend close to nine figures on him in the first place.

As for Liverpool, boss Jurgen Klopp will have been watching from home after testing positive for COVID-19 satisfied with the score after 26 minutes, but concerned to see that once again, his men were unable to hold onto a lead.

It was the fifth time in the league this season that the Reds have dropped points from a winning position (also against Brentford, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham) and it almost certainly extinguished any faint hopes they will have had of pegging City back in the title race, now sitting 11 points behind with a solitary game in hand.

Liverpool allowed 15 shots at their goal, with Irish stopper Caoimhin Kelleher making some excellent saves to keep his team in it after stepping in for Alisson Becker (COVID-19), and although Chelsea's goals from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic were expertly taken, they felt like they had been coming such was the visitors' inability to put their foot on the ball and calm things down.

This was something that set them apart when they ran away with the Premier League title in 2019-20, their penchant for killing a game off once they went ahead. They missed the influence of the injured Thiago Alcantara in the midfield, and arguably still have a bit of a Georginio Wijnaldum-shaped hole after the ever-reliable Dutchman left for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.

Up top, they were looking as good as ever, with early goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah seemingly putting them in control. Mane did well to round Edouard Mendy and fire home seconds after Mason Mount had failed to do the same at the other end, while Salah was sumptuous as he dribbled past Marcos Alonso and caressed the ball in at Mendy's near post to make it two.

Klopp will undoubtedly miss the dynamic duo as they now head off to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Salah in particular in the form of his life, getting his 16th league goal of the campaign and his 150th in all competitions in English football.

Mane actually ended a dry spell here, having gone nine games without a goal in all competitions. Senegal will be pleased at least that he seemed to have his spark back at Stamford Bridge, but with back-ups Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi currently injured and Roberto Firmino out with COVID-19, Klopp will perhaps have to get quite creative to fill the huge void Mane and Salah will leave for the next few weeks.

Both managers have selection headaches on the horizon, but after another weekend in which everything possible went the way of Pep Guardiola, the likelihood is that those selection headaches will only be in an effort to ultimately clinch second spot in this year's Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel says leaving Romelu Lukaku out of Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool was a "difficult decision" but one he had to make.

The Belgium international was omitted from the Blues' 20-man group for Sunday's crucial clash at Stamford Bridge between the sides sitting second and third in the Premier League.

Tuchel made the big call after Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired on Thursday and Friday.

In the wide-ranging interview, Lukaku said he "is not very happy with the situation" he finds himself in at Chelsea and expressed his desire to one day return to Inter.

Addressing the comments on Friday, Tuchel said Lukaku's comments bring "noise we do not need" at Chelsea ahead of such an important match.

And, after leaving the 28-year-old out of his squad to face the Reds, Tuchel explained he did not want his other players to be distracted.

"The issue got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match, so that is why he is out," he told Sky Sports. 

"Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players, but after that we had to realise it was too close to the match, it's too big.

"We delayed the decision over what to do, but while are delaying we have to protect the preparation for the match, we have a big game to play. 

"Full focus, which is hard to get even without this decision, was easier in my opinion if he is not in the squad, and that is why we did it. 

"It was a difficult decision, but in my opinion it was the decision to take."

Lukaku scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A last term and has scored seven goals in 18 appearances since returning to Chelsea in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

The former Manchester United striker had scored in Chelsea's last two games prior to facing Liverpool.

Romelu Lukaku has reportedly been dropped from Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool following an interview where he expressed unhappiness with the role he is playing at the Blues.

Belgium striker Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in a club-record £97.5million deal in the last transfer window, ending a two-year stay at Inter where he won the Serie A title last season.

He has since scored seven goals in 18 appearances in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

However, Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired, in which he said: "Physically I'm doing great. I'm just not very happy with the situation, but that's normal.

"I think the boss has decided to play a different formation, but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally. I'm not happy with the situation, but it's my job and I mustn't give up."

The Athletic has now reported Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has opted to omit Lukaku from the squad to face Liverpool in what is viewed as a must-win game amid flagging title hopes, with the Blues 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Addressing the comments pre-game, Tuchel said he has no issue with Lukaku but questioned his reasons for giving the interview, saying the striker had "brought noise we do not need".

"You have a quote from another match, another direction, and he said he had a chat with me. And then the suggestion comes that he was not happy," Tuchel said.

"Managers have chats with lots of players, where we want them, where he should be, when to arrive in spaces.

"This is a super normal chat and we had it with Romelu, and before he played we had a discussion about him being on the bench because other players suited more the style of play.

"Romelu played when he came, then he got injured, then he caught COVID and when he came back he played with no training against Aston Villa and then against Brighton.

"There is zero going on. I do not have to understand why he did it, it does not make it better, but it is not my situation - I will not enter into finding reasons now to understand the interview.

"I don't want to, I don't have to, and I don't have a reason to. We have zero problems. He gave an interview, if he has problems, he has to speak about them."

In the same interview, Lukaku went on to express his desire to one day return to the Nerazzurri.

"Now, I think it's right to talk because I have always said I have Inter in my heart. I'll go back to play there, I really hope so," he said. "I love Italy; this is the right time to talk and let people know what happened without speaking badly about people, because I'm not like that.

"I want to say a big apology to the Inter fans because I think the way I left should have been different. I should have talked to you first because the things you've done for me, for my family, my mother, my son, are things that will stay with me for life.

"I really hope, from the bottom of my heart, to return to Inter. Not at the end of my career, but while I'm still at a good level to hope to win more."

An irritated Thomas Tuchel insisted he does not have to try and understand Romelu Lukaku's reasons for saying he is unhappy at Chelsea.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia conducted several weeks ago but aired on Thursday, Lukaku expressed dissatisfaction with life at Chelsea and spoke of his wish for a future move back to Inter, with whom he won the Serie A title last season.

Lukaku scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A in 2020-21 but has found the net on just five occasions in 13 Premier League games since joining the Blues for a second spell in August.

His second stint at Stamford Bridge has been blighted by an injury and a spell out with COVID-19, from which the Belgium forward has returned to find form in Chelsea's last two matches, playing a key role in a win over Aston Villa before scoring against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out.

Lukaku also suggested that Tuchel's system was not playing to his strengths, and Chelsea's boss conceded in Friday's news conference that the interview had brought "noise that we don't need".

However, he was adamant that he has no problem with Lukaku, and that he does not have to understand why the striker made his comments.

"You have a quote from another match, another direction, and he said he had a chat with me. And then the suggestion comes that he was not happy," Tuchel told reporters, referring to a separate interview Lukaku gave after the win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

"Managers have chats with lots of players, where we want them, where he should be, when to arrive in spaces.

"This is a super normal chat and we had it with Romelu and before he played we had a discussion about him being on the bench because other players suited more the style of play.

"Romelu played when he came, then he got injured, then he caught COVID and when he came back he played with no training against Aston Villa and then against Brighton.

"There is zero going on. I do not have to understand why he did it, it does not make it better but it is not my situation - I will not enter into finding reasons now to understand the interview.

"I don't want to, I don't have to and I don't have a reason to. We have zero problems. He gave an interview, if he has problems, he has to speak about them."

Asked about what he feels is the best way to get Lukaku playing to his full potential, Tuchel added: "Training, playing, training, playing, sleeping, eating good, training, playing, sleeping, eat good, drink a lot of water, sleep, train. That’s the best way to get the best out of him."

While Lukaku's comments dominated the media conference, Tuchel's main focus is on Sunday's clash with Liverpool, a contest which both sides might well consider a must-win.

Manchester City could be 11 points clear at the top by the time kick-off comes around at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel knows, however, that even a win against Liverpool will not mean COVID and injury-hit Chelsea are in the clear from their recent problems.

"We come from the run we have been on, we have the circumstances that we have, we are struggling to have the best performances, the very best results," he said. 

"This is something to admit. Now, things feel harder, more complicated. We need to be well prepared. We should not be naive. The situation of why we are in this [run] will not change even if we win games.

"We will push to the maximum to beat Liverpool but the day after the situation will not go away with one win."

Romelu Lukaku hopes to rekindle his striker partnership with Lautaro Martinez, but has told his former team-mate to stay at Inter rather than join him at Chelsea.

Chelsea brought in Lukaku from Inter for a reported club-record fee of £97.5million (€115m) and have since been tipped to move for fellow frontman Martinez in the new year.

The pair scored and assisted a combined 125 goals during Lukaku's two seasons at San Siro – 76 direct goal involvements for Lukaku and 49 for Martinez.

Thanks to their link-up play, Inter were the fourth highest-scoring team across Europe's top five leagues between Lukaku's first and last game for Inter, netting 152 times.

There has recently been suggestions that Chelsea may look to bring Martinez to Stamford Bridge, though Lukaku would rather the Argentina international remain at Inter.

"I miss Lautaro Martinez, I could die on the pitch for him since day one I met him," he told Sky Sport Italia.

Asked if he wanted Martinez to join him at Chelsea, a laughing Lukaku replied: "No… Lautaro, you can stay in Milan! I'll be back there."

Lukaku was speaking as part of a wide-ranging interview conducted by the Italian outlet earlier this month and published across two days on Thursday and Friday.

In the first part of the interview, Lukaku admitted he is "not happy" with his situation at Chelsea and outlined his desire to return to San Siro in the future.

He added that he was "hurt" to see boss Antonio Conte, the man who guided Inter to their first Scudetto in 11 years last season, depart shortly before his own exit to Chelsea.

Conte has since followed Lukaku to London by taking over as Tottenham head coach in November and he has made an instant impression at his new club.

The Italian is unbeaten in his first seven league games, making him the first Tottenham boss to ever do so, and Lukaku has tipped his former coach for big success at Spurs.

"I speak regularly with Conte, not just about football but life in general," he said.

"It hurt me when he left Inter, it was one of the toughest moments for me but I didn't leave because of him. I knew that we could still win things at Inter with [Simone] Inzaghi.

"I think Conte at Spurs could do what he did at Inter in Serie A. But he also knows that our Chelsea team is really strong. 

"I see him as an opponent in the league, I never won against him so that's an extra motivation for me.

"He was a massive influence on my career. He helped me on a mental level, he taught me how to be a professional and how to make sacrifices on and off the pitch."

Romelu Lukaku has revealed he rejected a move to Manchester City in 2020 and only joined Chelsea a year later after Inter decided against offering him a new contract.

The Belgium international returned to Stamford Bridge in August for a reported club-record fee of £97.5million (€115m) on the back of firing Inter to a first Scudetto in 11 years.

Speaking in September, Lukaku said he asked Inter boss Simone Inzaghi to grant his return to Chelsea in the close-season after the Premier League side's first two offers had been rejected.

He has scored seven goals in 18 appearances since re-joining the Blues in a first half to the campaign that has been hampered by injuries and illness.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia conducted earlier in December and first aired on Thursday, Lukaku admitted he is "not happy" with his situation at Chelsea and outlined his desire to return to San Siro in future.

In the second part of the interview released on Friday, Lukaku insisted he never initially wanted to depart Inter and even turned down interest from City out of loyalty.

"At the end of the first year with Inter, I turned down an offer from Manchester City, which was higher than Chelsea's this summer," the ex-Manchester United striker said.

"I did it because it had only been a year, it wasn't the right time to leave and I didn't want to. I wanted to do something good for Inter, because I have to say that Inter saved my career to some extent.

"I was in a deep hole at Manchester United, things weren't going well. I was a big investment for Inter but we did great things together. So, the second year after we won the Scudetto, I went to speak with club chiefs and asked for a new contract.

"I told myself, I'm 28 years old, my family feels great in Milan, I still have my flat there, my mother and my son could come and live there and we would all feel comfortable. But they didn't want to extend my contract, the possibility wasn't there.

"It was tough for me to accept, because in my head I told myself that I would be able to do a few more years in Milan."

Amid Inter's much-publicised financial difficulties, Lukaku was linked with an array of Europe's top clubs after an impressive second season in Italy.

The Anderlecht academy product was directly involved in 35 goals in 36 league games last season – 24 of his own and 11 assists – which was the most of any player in Serie A.

In doing so, he became the first player to score at least 20 goals and reach double figures for assists in a Serie A season since Opta started to collect such data in 2004-05.

Between his Inter debut in August 2019 and his final game in April 2021, Lukaku played a direct part in 76 goals in 87 games for the Nerazzurri in all competitions.

Across that period, only Cristiano Ronaldo (79), Kylian Mbappe (82), Lionel Messi (96) and Robert Lewandowski (108) were involved in more goals among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Despite interest from elsewhere, Lukaku's priority was to remain an Inter player for the 2021-22 campaign.

"In my opinion, there are three absolute top teams in football – Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Every player dreams of playing for one of these teams one day," he said.

"So, I thought if I ever had that possibility, I would sign a new contract with Inter and then go there. But it didn't happen, so I told myself that there is only one team where I could possibly see myself – Chelsea.

"I wasn't thinking about going there, but at one point they came in for me and I asked Inzaghi to leave. The fact that they didn't try to make me sign a new contract bothered me a bit, it hurt me even. If Inter offered me a new contract, I would have stayed 100 per cent. That goes without saying.

"Also, the fact that I hadn't won anything in England in eight years there bothered me a lot. So, it was hard to turn down the chance to come back here with the team I have supported since I was a child."

Romelu Lukaku's interview in which he revealed a desire to return to Inter brings "noise we don't need", Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel said ahead of their key Premier League clash with Liverpool.

In an interview with Sky Sport Italia conducted several weeks ago but aired on Thursday, Lukaku expressed dissatisfaction with life at Chelsea and spoke of his wish for a future move back to the Nerazzurri, with whom he won the Serie A title last season.

Lukaku scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A in 2020-21 but has found the net on just five occasions in 13 Premier League games since joining the Blues for a second spell in August.

"We don't like it, of course. It brings noise that we don't need and it's not helpful," Tuchel told a media conference. 

"We don't want to make more out of it than it actually is. It is easy to take lines out of context, shorten lines, make headlines and then realise later that it is not so bad.

"Like I said, this is what you read into it. It is very easy, in general, to take lines out of context and make headlines to get the focus. I totally understand the process and that is why it is a lot of noise, not a little noise.

"But still, we are not here to read the headlines. We can take the time to try and understand what is going on because it does not reflect the daily work, attitude and behaviour which Romelu shows here at Cobham."

Asked if Lukaku should have kept his grievances behind closed doors, Tuchel replied: "If you are such a big player like Romelu, it is always in the public.

"He should know what kind of value he has when he speaks out with messages like this. Everything is easier when we win.

"The dressing room might not always be in harmony. Sometimes it is good to be on the edge, in disharmony.

"With Romelu, I don't think that anybody in this building is unaware that he is unhappy. I can see no reason why he should be like this. That's all I can say."

Chelsea have dropped points in three of their past six games to fall eight points behind leaders Manchester City in the title race.

On the spirit in the dressing room amid their slump in form, Tuchel added: "Very disappointed, angry. Me, myself, also angry on the situation, results, referee decisions.

"We have the feeling we invest a lot, we squeeze and squeeze the lemon but it is like squeezing the same lemon over and over again and expecting fresh juice."

As football concludes for 2021, you'd be forgiven for wondering if the past year even happened at all.

COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing, the climate crisis continues unabated, Donald Trump is crying election fraud and everyone is talking about cryptocurrency without really knowing why. If Bill Murray appeared on television to tell you we're stuck in a 2020 time loop, you'd barely even blink.

Well, 2021 really did happen, and we have the data to prove it. Here, Stats Perform presents a selection of the biggest footballing moments of the year, and the numbers that help to make them unforgettable – even if you can't remember what day it is...

Tuchel your fancy

Expectations are pretty high for Chelsea coaches, but winning the Champions League before you've been in the job for half a year – after replacing club legend Frank Lampard, no less – isn't a bad way to impress the owner! No but seriously, Thomas Tuchel is brilliant.

The Blues beat Atletico Madrid, Porto, Real Madrid and Manchester City in the knockouts as they became kings of Europe for the second time. They only conceded twice in those matches; in fact, Edouard Mendy became the first goalkeeper to keep as many as nine clean sheets in his debut season in the competition.

From Tuchel's first match in charge until the end of 2020-21, no Premier League team lost fewer games (five), conceded fewer goals (16) or kept more clean sheets (19) across all competitions than Chelsea. It's worth remembering that, Thomas, if you really do think your title hopes are already over at the halfway stage of the season.

Live and let Daei

Football's greatest-of-all-time debate is likely to drag on until humanity has long since gone extinct, with nothing left of civilisation except decaying ruins and NFTs of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, most likely dressed as goats, stored on a giant blockchain server at the centre of the Earth (no, we don't understand it all, either).

We can at least agree on one non-fungible Ronaldo record, though: as of 2021, he is the leading international goalscorer in the history of men's football.

A brace against the Republic of Ireland on September 1 took him to 111 for Portugal, two more than previous record-holder Ali Daei of Iran. Ronaldo will start the World Cup year on 115 goals in 184 international appearances – but without the Ballon d'Or on his mantelpiece...

Gerd lord, another record

With practically the final kick of the 2020-21 Bundesliga season, Robert Lewandowski pounced on a loose ball to score his 41st league goal and break Gerd Muller's previous single-season record of 40, which had stood since 1972.

Not satisfied with the greatest goalscoring effort in Germany's top flight for nearly half a century, Lewandowski ended 2021 with 43 goals for the calendar year (in only 34 games), again surpassing a previous best tally set by Muller. During that run, he became the first player in the competition to score in 13 consecutive home matches, beating the 12-game runs of Jupp Heynckes and, yes, Muller. The late Bayern great's record of a goal in 16 Bundesliga games in a row still stands, though, Lewandowski having been stopped from matching it by the crossbar in a 3-1 win at Greuther Furth in September.

This year also saw the Bayern Munich striker reach 120 away goals in the Bundesliga, which is, you guessed it, another record. At least this one was previously held by a different name: Klaus Fischer, on 117. Muller is third on 115, for what it's worth.

Let's talk about six, baby 

Liverpool started the year boasting the second-longest unbeaten home run in the history of England's top division: they had gone 68 games without defeat after losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace in April 2017, a streak only bettered by Chelsea (86 games ending in October 2008).

Then, they lost 1-0 to Burnley at Anfield. Then, 1-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield. After that came a 4-1 battering by Manchester City, an almost unthinkable 2-0 loss to Everton, and then another pair of 1-0 defeats, this time to Chelsea and Fulham... and all at Anfield.

Six consecutive home defeats: something never endured by any Liverpool team before, nor any reigning champion of England's top flight.

Pep-pered with records

City were top of the Premier League on Christmas Day for the third time in their history. They won the league on the previous two occasions (in 2011 and 2017), so the omens are positive for 2021-22 – not that they need much divine intervention right now.

The reigning champions, boasting a 10-match winning streak, broke the record for the most victories in a calendar year in England's top flight with their 34th of 2021 against Newcastle United this month. The previous best was 33 set by Bob Paisley's Liverpool in 1982.

In the process, Pep Guardiola's men also set a new top-tier record of 18 away wins in a single year, beating the previous best of 17 set by Bill Nicholson's famous Tottenham side of 1960-61. Oh, and their 112 goals scored in 2021 is the best such calendar-year return in the Premier League era.

An Argentine tango – and a Messi divorce

Lionel Messi ends 2021 with 23 goals and eight assists in LaLiga, the most direct goal involvements of any player aside from Karim Benzema (41). And he hasn't played in the competition since May.

Messi's tearful departure from Barcelona, who decided they simply couldn't afford to keep the player they previously couldn't afford to lose, heralded the end of an era in Spanish football. It hasn't gone particularly well for either party, either: Barca, who sacked Ronald Koeman in November, sit seventh in LaLiga, while Messi has scored one goal in 11 Ligue 1 games for Paris Saint-Germain.

Club football might have been more of a nightmare than a dream for Messi this year, but the same cannot be said for his international exploits. He was the joint-top goalscorer and the tournament's best player as Argentina finally ended their long wait for silverware, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final of the Copa America. It was enough to secure Messi a record-extending seventh Ballon d'Or, even though he seemed to think Lewandowski actually deserved to win (and, let's be honest, a lot of us did).

It's a Lille bit funny...

Last season, Paris Saint-Germain replaced Tuchel with Mauricio Pochettino ostensibly so they might win the Champions League. Instead, while Tuchel took Chelsea to European glory within just five months, Pochettino's PSG could not even keep hold of their Ligue 1 crown.

Lille won the French top flight for the fourth time in their history, becoming only the fourth side to win it at least twice since the turn of the century (the others being PSG, of course, Monaco and Lyon). Their triumph was inspired by the late-career renaissance of Burak Yilmaz: his 16 league goals were the most scored by anyone over the age of 35 in Europe's top five leagues last season, with the exception of Cristiano Ronaldo (29).

While their title defence isn't going too swimmingly – Lille are eighth in the table after 19 games, 18 points behind leaders PSG – they managed to win their Champions League group for the first time in seven attempts. They also boast the top scorer in Ligue 1 this term: Jonathan David, who was an 11-year-old playing for Ottawa Gloucester Hornets when Lille won their third league title in 2011, has scored 12 times already.

Get Inter the spirit

This year saw Inter end their decade-long wait for the Scudetto and bring about the end of Juventus' recent stranglehold on Serie A.

Inspired by Antonio Conte – who started Juve's nine-year title streak back in 2012 – and league MVP Romelu Lukaku, the Nerazzurri finished 12 points clear at the top as their coach became the man with the best points-per-game ratio (2.26) in the modern history of Italy's top flight.

Despite a close-season of upheaval in which Conte walked, Lukaku returned to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi went to PSG, Inter go into next year with a four-point advantage at the top and just one defeat in 19 league games, having scored over 100 league goals in a calendar year for the first time in their history.

Mancini's miracle

Italy's second European Championship trophy, secured courtesy of a penalty shoot-out win over England at Wembley, was the pinnacle of a quite remarkable run of results under Roberto Mancini.

The Azzurri would go on to set a new world record in men's international football of 37 matches without defeat, during which they won 30, scored 93 goals and conceded only 12. The run ended when they lost 2-1 to Spain in the Nations League semi-finals in Milan, marking their first competitive home defeat since 1999.

In the first 33 of those matches, starting from a 1-1 draw with Ukraine in October 2018, they were behind for only 44 minutes. At Euro 2020, they had five players who scored at least twice, they ended the tournament with a joint-high 13 goals and conceded only four. And yet, in 2022, they must navigate the play-offs – and potentially a meeting with Portugal – if they are to avoid failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row.

Palmeiras pull off the unbeliev-Abel

The Copa Libertadores final is not something Andreas Pereira will want to remember: it was the Manchester United loanee's error that allowed substitute Deyverson to win it for Palmeiras in extra time.

This was a historic result, though. Not only were Palmeiras the first team since Boca Juniors 20 years ago to win back-to-back Libertadores trophies, but Abel Ferreira became the only European coach to win the competition twice.

Before his time in Brazil, arguably Abel's finest achievement in his post-playing career was helping PAOK reach 51 league games unbeaten – although he was only actually in charge for 17 of those matches, including the 4-2 loss to Aris that brought the streak to an end.

Romelu Lukaku has admitted he is "not happy with the situation" at Chelsea and harbours regret at the way he left Inter for Stamford Bridge.

The Belgium international signed for the Blues for the second time in his career in August for a reported club-record fee of £97.5million (€115m).

Lukaku later said he spoke to Inter boss Simone Inzaghi to plead for the chance to go back to Chelsea, the club he first joined from Anderlecht in 2011, as he felt he had unfinished business in the Premier League.

Inter fans were angry with Lukaku's determination to leave just weeks after they had celebrated a first Serie A title in 10 years, with the striker having played a critical role in their success under Antonio Conte.

Lukaku was directly involved in 35 goals (24 scored, 11 assisted) in 36 league games, the most of anyone in Italy's top flight, and he was named Serie A's MVP for his performances.

He has not been as successful in his first season back in England, though, starting just eight times in the Premier League amid injury and COVID-19 problems.

Lukaku scored in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa and Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, his first league goals since September, but claimed he wanted clarity from head coach Thomas Tuchel about his role in the side.

Now, the former Manchester United forward says he is unhappy with matters at Chelsea, who have fallen eight points behind league leaders Manchester City after two wins in six games, and has made a promise to return to Inter before he enters the twilight of his career.

He told Sky Sport Italia: "Physically, I'm fine, even better than before. After two years in Italy, in which I worked a lot at Inter with coaches and nutritionists, I'm physically doing okay.

"But I'm not happy with the situation. This is normal. I think the boss has chosen to play with another system. I just have to not give up and continue working and being professional.

"I'm not happy with the situation, but I'm a hard worker and I must not give up.

"I don't think everything that happened was supposed to happen like that. The way I left Inter, how I communicated with the fans, it bothers me because it might not be the right time now [to say it] but it wasn't the right time when I left, either.

"Now, I think it's right to talk because I have always said I have Inter in my heart. I'll go back to play there, I really hope so. I love Italy; this is the right time to talk and let people know what happened without speaking badly about people, because I'm not like that.

"I want to say a big apology to the Inter fans because I think the way I left should have been different. I should have talked to you first because the things you've done for me, for my family, my mother, my son, are things that will stay with me for life.

"I really hope, from the bottom of my heart, to return to Inter. Not at the end of my career, but while I'm still at a good level to hope to win more."

Danny Welbeck scored in stoppage time as Brighton and Hove Albion deservedly claimed a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Romelu Lukaku followed up his first Premier League goal since September in Sunday's 3-1 win at Aston Villa and looked like he would help his side to a second consecutive top-flight win with a fine header shortly before the half-hour mark.

Brighton carved out a host of opportunities in the second period and sealed the point their enterprising display deserved in added time when substitute Welbeck headed past Edouard Mendy.

That goal meant Chelsea moved into second above Liverpool but only by a point, while Brighton went up a place to 10th.

Even numerous coronavirus-enforced cancellations could not stop the Premier League's Boxing Day schedule from delivering a mountain of goals.

Leaders Manchester City demolished Leeds United 7-0 earlier in December before a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle and followed that up with a nine-goal thriller against Leicester City.

Mikel Arteta's in-form Arsenal maintained their pursuit of a Champions League spot by smashing five past struggling Norwich City, while the reinvigorated Tottenham cruised past London rivals Crystal Palace.

Staying in the capital, West Ham's poor run of form continued in a 3-2 home loss to Southampton before Chelsea came from behind to defeat Aston Villa on the road.

After plenty of festive cheer across Sunday's top-flight action, Stats Perform takes a look at the pick of the Opta data.

Tottenham 3-0 Crystal Palace: Conte's deadly trio down sorry Eagles

Spurs had lost just one of their last 12 top-flight home games against Palace and continued that impressive run of form as Harry Kane equalled another record in a dominant 3-0 win.

Kane opened the scoring in the first half after Lucas Moura's set him up, netting in his sixth consecutive Boxing Day fixture as he equalled Robbie Fowler's Premier League scoring record of nine goals on the day after Christmas.

Lucas added a second as he scored and assisted in the same top-flight game for the first time, with the Brazilian registering five goal involvements in his last five league games, as many as in his previous 23 matches in the competition.

Wilfried Zaha's first-half dismissal for two bookable offences compounded Palace's misery, the winger's fifth red card for the Eagles in all competitions - three more than any other player for the club since his debut in 2010.

Son Heung-min then scored his sixth goal in six home top-flight games against Palace, as Antonio Conte became just the third Spurs boss to go unbeaten in their first six league games after Jacques Santini in 2004-05 and Tim Sherwood in 2013-14.

Manchester City 6-3 Leicester City: Citizens defeat Foxes in Boxing Day record thriller

City went down 5-2 in this fixture last season but triumphed in a 6-3 classic this time around, despite a spirited second-half fightback from Leicester, in the first Premier League game on Boxing Day to see as many as nine goals.

Kevin de Bruyne netted first and has now scored in five of his last six league starts at the Etihad Stadium, before Riyad Mahrez scored in his fourth consecutive appearance for the first time since he moved to England in 2014 as he converted from the spot.

Raheem Sterling, who has won the most penalties by any player in Premier League history (22), rolled another spot-kick in, while Ilkay Gundogan was on target as Leicester went 4-0 down inside 25 minutes for the first time in the top flight since Watford did so against City in 2019.

Leicester reduced the deficit after the interval as James Maddison found the net for the fourth time in his last five top-flight appearances before loanee Ademola Lookman finished past Ederson.

Those two earlier goals were teed up by Kelechi Iheanacho, who assisted twice in a top-flight match for the first time before adding a goal of his own to make it 4-3.

However, Pep Guardiola's side confirmed victory with an Aymeric Laporte header and Sterling's second – City's 112th league goal in 2021, the most a team has netted in a year since Arsenal also scored 112 in 1963.

Norwich City 0-5 Arsenal: Saka at the double as Gunners equal away record

Bukayo Saka registered a brace as high-flying Arsenal ran riott in a 5-0 victory over Norwich, who have played more Premier League games on Boxing Day without ever winning than any other side in the competition (eight).

Saka struck his first after just six minutes before his second arrived after the hour mark. At 20 years and 112 days, he is the second-youngest player to score 10-plus Premier League goals for Arsenal, after Nicolas Anelka (19y 225d).

Kieran Tierney doubled the Gunners' lead in between Saka's pair of goals, with Martin Odegaard providing his second assist of the game – the Norway international has been involved in six goals in his last six league games, two more than he had in his first 25 appearances in the competition.

Alexandre Lacazette added a fourth, while Emile Smith Rowe scored after coming off the bench once again – his league-leading third goal as a substitute. No top-flight team have bettered Arsenal's five goals from substitutes this season.

Norwich were unable to find a way past Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners registered their joint-biggest margin of victory away from home in a Premier League match, while scoring four-plus goals in consecutive away league games for the first time since 2009.

Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea: Jorginho penalty brace seals Blues comeback triumph

Chelsea have stuttered in recent weeks but returned to winning ways as a Jorginho brace ensured they came from behind to defeat Aston Villa 3-1.

Reece James inadvertently flicked into his own net as Villa were gifted an own goal by Chelsea in the Premier League for only the second time, after Frank Sinclair also turned past his own goalkeeper back in December 1994.

Jorginho soon restored parity from the spot after Matthew Cash had felled Callum Hudson-Odoi before substitute Romelu Lukaku headed the Blues into the lead with his ninth top-flight goal in 10 appearances against Villa.

Jorginho wrapped things up as he rolled in again from 12 yards, with his 17th Premier League strike from the spot. In fact, 89 per cent of his 19 goals have come from penalties, the highest such ratio of anyone with 10-plus goals in the competition’s history.

Since Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge in January, the Blues have scored more penalties than any other club in England's premier competition (12), with Jorginho netting 10 of these himself - more than any other club besides Chelsea in that period.

Thomas Tuchel was delighted to see Chelsea come from behind to defeat Aston Villa 3-1 but was left concerned by injuries to N'Golo Kante and Thiago Silva on Sunday.

Chelsea fell a goal behind when Reece James inadvertently flicked Matthew Targett's first-half cross past Edouard Mendy, but Jorginho soon levelled things up from the spot following Matthew Cash's foul on Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Tuchel introduced Romelu Lukaku at half-time and the Belgium forward flicked the visitors ahead with his ninth goal in 10 Premier League appearances against Villa; he has not scored more against any other opponent in the top five European leagues.

Jorginho again converted from 12 yards to seal victory with his 10th top-flight penalty in 2021. Since Tuchel's first game in charge, the Blues have scored more penalties than any other Premier League side, while the Italy midfielder has scored more spot-kicks than any other club besides Chelsea in that period.

Chelsea's win moved them within six points of leaders Manchester City and level on points with Liverpool, who have a game in hand, but Tuchel was left frustrated by the game going ahead as injuries and COVID-19 infections impacted upon his plans.

Tuchel told BBC Sport: "We showed a very good reaction after their goal. The own goal made things super complicated. The reaction was very good. We defended strong and did not allow big chances. It was a deserved win but hard work.

"We have concerns for injured players. We let Callum Hudson-Odoi play 90 minutes after COVID. Thiago Silva got injured. N'Golo Kante is injured. Mateo Kovacic is playing after injury and COVID without any preparation and training.

"We're just filling holes where we can fill them. We play teams without international duties. Five changes were invented because of COVID.

"Now we're in the middle of COVID and some teams are having games postponed and others aren't. Three changes are a big disadvantage."

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick insisted five substitutes should be reintroduced in England's top flight for the benefit of player welfare, and Tuchel echoed his compatriot's thoughts.

Asked whether five substitutes should be reintroduced, Tuchel responded: "Of course. We are the only league that play in winter, which I love, but we're not protecting the players.

"All other leagues have five changes. Then we compete against them in the Champions League. It's a bit frustrating. It will not stop.

"Brighton and Hove Albion will play a super physical game then we have two games against Tottenham, who are out of Europe and fully focused on the league and EFL Cup."

Lukaku – who scored in the reverse fixture this season – has a fantastic record against Villa but Tuchel revealed he had no idea about his striker's tendency to score past the Villans.

"No, I was not aware of [Lukaku's excellent] record against Villa," he continued. "I should have known this before. We decided at half-time to have a bit more threat and create more problems.

"I was happy he was involved. He was the game-changer today. We took a lot of risks – 45 minutes was more than the medical department recommended. Who knows if it's the right thing to do?"

Romelu Lukaku scored his first Premier League goal since September and Jorginho struck from the penalty spot twice as Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-1.

Thomas Tuchel's side had fallen behind to a Reece James own goal in the 28th minute, but they restored parity shortly after thanks to a Jorginho spot-kick.

Half-time substitute Lukaku then headed home for the first time in the top flight since he scored a brace against Villa at Stamford Bridge on September 11, before Jorginho added a third with another penalty in stoppage time. 

The victory meant Chelsea moved level on points with second-placed Liverpool, who have a game in hand, while Villa dropped down to 10th after earlier moving up to ninth following Leicester City's heavy defeat to Manchester City.

Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be available for Chelsea's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Boxing Day following negative COVID-19 tests. 

Lukaku and Hudson-Odoi were among a group of seven players to miss last weekend's 0-0 Premier League draw with Wolves due to a positive coronavirus test. 

However, Tuchel confirmed the duo could be back in training on Thursday if they return a negative result for the second straight day. 

Ben Chilwell has also tested negative but will not be involved against Villa on Sunday as he continues to recover from a serious ankle injury. 

"If I understand correctly we a negative test first of all, and we had a negative test for Romelu and Callum and Ben Chilwell," said Tuchel following Chelsea's 2-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win against Brentford. 

"Ben Chilwell will not be involved in the Aston Villa game and for the other two they will be on the pitch tomorrow if they test negative again. Then we need to see. The guys have been ill and had symptoms. So let's see. 

"It's a Premier League game at one of the toughest places you can play. It's good news, don't get me wrong, but I'm not over-excited now because I need to check how they are." 

Chelsea's success over Brentford came following a late double, with Pontus Jansson putting through his own net and Jorginho – who made his comeback after a false COVID-19 positive – scoring a penalty in the final 10 minutes. 

The Blues had struggled to create meaningful chances before that and only remained on level terms thanks to some good saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga. 

Tuchel is pleased to have the world's most expensive goalkeeper performing at a high level with Edouard Mendy due to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. 

"I am super impressed and very happy with Kepa. It is not a surprise anymore because he is in that state of mind as a person, a character and a sportsman where he just delivers for us because he does what he does best," said Tuchel. 

"This is what he shows every day in training and that's why he gets the reward. I am absolutely sure that this is the reason he has these kinds of performances.

"We need him in this shape. The goalkeepers are a strong group. Kepa is a big part of it and he was a big factor today – in the first half especially." 

Chelsea will go up against London rivals Tottenham and their former head coach Antonio Conte in a two-legged semi-final, with Arsenal and Liverpool contesting the other final-four tie. 

"It was always going to be a tough draw. Tottenham is nice for our fans. A London derby, we are looking forward to it and we want to be there," said Tuchel. 

"I am absolutely happy about this result [against Brentford]. We had a brilliant performance and result given the circumstances and the line-up and the situation of some of the guys that played today were youngsters and some of the others leading them hadn't had many minutes. 

"I'm very happy. Very disciplined, very structured, and in the structure with a lot of confidence and quality individually so well done for the boys, I'm supper happy." 

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