Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admits they were missing a striker with the qualities of Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian has begun life at the Stamford Bridge club in the best possible way, scoring four goals in four appearances.

He netted the only goal as the Blues picked up a 1-0 win over Zenit St. Petersburg in their first Champions League group stage game.

Asked about Lukaku's impact on the team and his form since re-signing with the club, Tuchel told reporters, per football.london: "I don't want to be the mood-breaker but we did win also without Romelu and produced results. But he was the type of profile we were missing in our team, not just because of the talent but because of the personality.

"He is super a humble guy, loves football, loves to train, is such a good communicator in the dressing room, and is open to everybody. That creates a certain energy around him in the team that we are proud of and what to have because we believe in it.

"The spirit and atmosphere last year took us very far and it's important we have it again. We have it with Romelu because he loves Chelsea, he knows what the club is about. He is not shy to speak out loud here and help with his goals. If we miss him for one game, or hopefully not more games, we will try to find different solutions to we create chances."