Coming off a West London derby defeat against Fulham straight onto another London derby against Crystal Palace, many Chelsea faithfuls were expecting a reaction, despite the victory being scrappy, they got the reaction, the sort of fight showed today at Stamford Bridge certainly raised hopes a bit.
Here are 4 lessons learnt from Chelsea’s one nil win over Crystal Palace.
Gallagher Shows Quality :
Playing against familiar teammates from his previous loan spell at Selhurst Park, Conor Gallagher seemed a lot like his former self during his time at Crystal Palace. His driving with the ball from deep, intensity in the tackles, and energy to get around the pitch were all attributes that made many call for the return of Gallagher to Stamford Bridge.
The license to roam today and join the attack unleashed Conor as he created the most chances in the game with 3 and won the most fouls with 6. His usual work-rate wasn’t left out though with Gallagher covering a lot ground and winning the most duels in the process with 15.
With Zakaria out for 1 month, Gallagher will hope to get a few more chances.
Silva remains Impeccable :
When signing for Chelsea for free at the age of 36, not many would have predicted Thiago Silva to have the sort of impact he has had for Chelsea. Now at the far advanced age of 38, Thiago Silva still remains with a doubt, Chelsea’s best defender in an expensively assembled line of defence.
His Unbelievable fitness record, immense leadership skills and impeccable performances back-to-back have been a reason why Silva is so dearly appreciated by Chelsea’s faithfuls.
Here against Crystal Palace, Silva was a huge factor in Chelsea securing a clean-sheet since the Boxing Day fixture against Bournemouth. Silva’s impact here wasn’t in the defensive box of Chelsea alone as he made efforts to help set attacks underway from the back with his passing and sometimes moving into midfield to help create more passing options while also testing Guaita with a very good effort in the Palace box.
Silva’s gargantuan effort saw him win all 6 of his aerial duels and all 5 of his ground duels as he led the defence. Chelsea would be wise to offer him a new deal, particularly with a host of young defenders at the back.
Badiashile’s Solid Debut :
Staring in his first game since his move from Monaco, Benoit Badiashile didn’t disappoint in his first game for his new club. Playing as the LCB with Silva to his side, Benoit certainly looked a major part of it as he slotted seamlessly into the backline.
Playing solidly and without fear out of possession, Benoit won 5 of his 7 aerial duels in the game, and 5 of 6 ground duels he contested. Playing out from the back is a huge weapon in Benoit’s arsenal and his 97% pass accuracy from 71 passes showed just that.
With Koulibaly in horrible form at the moment, Benoit will be hope he’s done enough to earn a starter’s berth in the next game against Liverpool.
Lewis’s Finishing Needs Brushing :
Mistakes as a 18-year old footballer is permitted but starting games as a professional footballer for a top team like Chelsea gets a lot more scrutinised.
Playing off the left hand side as either a left back or left wing back, Lewis Hall has often found himself in decent positions to find the net but his finishing has always let him down. With a reference point in Marcos Alonso for Blues fans, Hall will be well placed if he does work a lot more on his final balls and finishing. He’s a young lad so there’s still a lot more to work on but with Chilwell’s continued absence, Hall sure has the opportunity to showcase how much he’s worth the opportunities he’s presently given.
Man of the match; Thiago Silva 9/10.
Next up for Chelsea is a lunch time kickoff in the premier league against Liverpool on Saturday.
