Lukaku lifts Chelsea past Zenit

Romelu Lukaku enlivened an otherwise flat Chelsea performance with the only goal to beat Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 and get the Blues' Champions League defence off to a winning start.

Lukaku never made a Champions League appearance during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, but is quickly making up for lost time since returning to Chelsea for a club record £97 million ($134 million) last month. The Belgian striker now has four goals in as many games and his predatory instincts 21 minutes from time papered over the cracks of a disappointing display from Thomas Tuchel's men.

Tuchel urged his players not to rest on their laurels after their surprise run to become European champions last season.