Thomas Tuchel offers awkward response when asked why he finally started Romelu Lukaku

Thomas Tuchel joked that he picked Romelu Lukaku due to the relentless questions regarding the Chelsea forward before he was booed off by a small section of fans at Stamford Bridge.

The German saw the forward arrive from Inter Milan in the summer for a club-record fee and the Belgian began with a bang in west London, scoring against Arsenal on his first outing. Since then though Lukaku has endured a mixed time of it at Stamford Bridge.

There are doubts as to whether the former Inter Milan star fits into Tuchel's system, which is why he's often been named on the bench. Lukaku then did little to endear himself to the Chelsea fans when he talked up a return to Italy, before later apologising.

Tuchel has been vocal in his criticism of the Belgian, whom he has demanded more from on several occasions. That has led to regular questions about Lukaku's future and the Chelsea boss made light of the fact he'd selected the £97.5m man for Wednesday's clash with the Gunners.

"You were asking so much about him so finally I put him," joked Tuchel on Sky Sports. "We want to play with two strikers and Kai is heavily overloaded so was the moment to go with Romelu." The Belgian scored within 15 minutes of his second Blues debut at Arsenal earlier this season.

The Chelsea boss confessed his positive experiences against the Gunners were a factor in his decision making. He added: "A little bit. If you have a good experience or a good moment against an opponent it can help. It was not the main reason - the main reason was that he deserves to play."

Lukaku was hauled off in the second half at Stamford Bridge having failed to find the net and with his side trailing 3-2. A section of the Stamford Bridge crowd jeered the Belgian's exit on