Romelu Lukaku breaks unwanted record in Chelsea win over Crystal Palace

Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku broke an unwanted Premier League record during the 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

The game at Selhurst Park had been heading towards a goalless draw until Hakim Ziyech netted a late winner for the newly-crowned world champions.

Ziyech's contribution was required after a quiet afternoon for club record signing Lukaku, who had been hoping to build on his two goals during the Club World Cup.

Instead, the Belgium international set a new Premier League record, having the least touches of any player who had been on the pitch for at least 90 minutes since 2003-04.

Just two touches occurred during the opening 45 minutes, one of which came when Chelsea got the encounter underway against their London neighbours.

7 - Romelu Lukaku had just seven touches against Crystal Palace, the fewest in a single Premier League game for a player with 90+ minutes played since this data is available in full for the competition (2003-04). One of those touches was from kick-off in the first half. Quiet.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 19, 2022

After the game, head coach Thomas Tuchel claimed that his Chelsea players had looked "drained and exhausted".