Chelsea news as the Blues respond to their Christmas Eve defeat against Wolves with a crucial victory over Crystal Palace thanks to goals from Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea team defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, capping an up-and-down season with a late penalty from Noni Madueke. The Blues are only now in the top half on goal differential, and even that move might only last short term.But Chelsea finds itself only two points behind Brighton in ninth position, despite the fact that the Seagulls have a game coming up on Thursday night against Tottenham, and four ahead of Newcastle in eighth place ahead of a good run of matches. The problem is that Chelsea has to improve its consistency if it hopes to pose a serious threat to overtaking them.
The fact that Chelsea had only twice achieved the same outcome in all competitions was maybe encouraging before to the match. The Blues really have a better chance of winning the game after losing, and vice versa. But in the upcoming months, they’ll need to develop a new aspect of their game if they want to move up the table.
While Pochettino will feel a little less pressure to perform his job, the three points hardly touched on all of the questions posed to him. He selected the youngest team the club had ever picked for a Premier League match against Palace, and he was almost rewarded. The 51-year-old is aware that more and more significant actions are required to appease the detractors.The supporters of every side are certain that traveling to Luton is the clearest way to lose, and they also believe that the football gods will work in concert to deliver a humiliating but historic loss. You can already see the comparative charts of transfer expenditures, hear the Hatters’ own fans complaining about “what a waste of money,” and witness Chelsea’s troubles in a hostile atmosphere.It will be as big of a test as any for Chelsea, with just two full days to recuperate before the early game against Rob Edwards’s obstinate Luton. For someone who is emotionally and physically frail, this is the final test. Given that Manchester City trailed at Kenilworth Road, Liverpool grabbed a draw in the closing moments, and Arsenal need two goals in the 90th minute to win, it is expected to be a fierce match, and Chelsea has not yet demonstrated that they can consistently perform at their highest level in situations like these.
Luton and Chelsea’s next league match are a short distance apart. On January 6, Chelsea will host Preston North End in the FA Cup third round in SW6, and three days later, they will travel to Middlesbrough for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Both of these games provide an opportunity to gently usher in the New Year and serve as a launchpad.
Fulham’s visit doesn’t appear all that frightening on paper, either, even though Marco Silva’s team has scored ten goals in two games. In the October matchup, the Cottagers plodded along with minimal fanfare and faced very little oppositio
With one of the hardest games of the season remaining, things are starting to heat up. This is a sign of things to come—another difficult stretch in March and April.
Before traveling to Anfield, Chelsea will play Middlesbrough in order to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup final. If all goes according to plan, this draw may see Liverpool and Chelsea square off at Wembley once more as the Reds take on Fulham over two legs. However, facing Jurgen Klopp’s resolute team will be a true challenge.
Chelsea looked strong in this match on opening day, but a lot has happened since then, and even if they have a respectable record against the best teams in the league, they shouldn’t be given too much optimism.
Chelsea will look to gain a significant three points before the big teams start to roll in. Chelsea gets the chance to extract revenge on Wolves for the Christmas Eve setback. Of the five games that are ahead, this one and the trip to Palace are the most comfortable.
A almost perfect sweep of victories in the games on the schedule is necessary to have any hope of breaking into the top eight this season. This season, nothing that we’ve seen so far suggests Chelsea is prepared for such a run.
Chelsea will have their banker fixture to look forward to, at least, if the Wolves return match goes south. With this recent triumph, the Blues have now defeated the Eagles 12 times in a row. This is the first time the team has lost to its south London rivals since 2017.
Wednesday night, Palace showed a lot of enthusiasm, but they also occasionally rode their luck. Chelsea lets teams do just that. There will be optimism going into this match that Pochettino has been able to establish a degree of stability that could make things at Selhurst Park a little more comfortable.