After going goalless for the entire month of September in the English Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea finally welcomed signs of relief when they travelled to Craven Cottage for the West London Derby last night. The Blues continued their momentum gained from the EFL Cup Third Round victory against Brighton & Hove Albion last time around and beat Fulham at their home with a resounding score line of 2-0. Amongst the scorers were 22-year-old left winger from Ukraine Mykhailo Mudryk and Albanian striker Armando Broja, who opened his account for Chelsea at last and scored his second goal for the club respectively.
Chelsea Went Goalless in September in the League
Prior to the 90th West London Derby between Chelsea and Fulham, the Blues had not managed to score a single goal in the entire of last month in the English Premier League, losing to Nottingham Forest 1-0 and drawing Bournemouth 0-0 before succumbing to Aston Villa 1-0. The Blues‘ only goal in September came when they hosted Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup Third Round last midweek, and the 1-0 victory gave hope for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to bag all three points against the Cottagers in the West London Derby.
Chelsea’s 51-year-old Argentine manager had three changes to their last Premier League starting 11 in this match, with players such as Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto suspended while Raheem Sterling dropped to the bench. Fulham, who also won their EFL Cup Third Round fixture against Norwich City, retained only five players from the starting lineup that beat the EFL Championship side last Wednesday.
Chelsea might be replacing their goalkeeper with potentially outgoing shot stopper Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal, after the England player was benched for new summer signing David Raya by manager Mikel Arteta. You can get all the information about the story here.
Chelsea win their first Premier League game since August 25 🍾 pic.twitter.com/Di9cBxxaNb
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 2, 2023
Rejuvenated Chelsea Subdued Fulham in the 90th West London Derby
The match between Chelsea and Fulham at Craven Cottage was the 90th time both teams have met each other, and the Blues have a superior record of 50 wins against the Cottagers’ 12 in the previous 89 encounters. With the history in mind, Pochettino’s men found the net less than 20 minutes into the game, and it was last season’s big-money signing Mudryk who opened the scoring for the visitors. Moisés Caicedo found Levi Colwill with a wonderful long ball, before the young left-back crossed it for the Ukrainian. Mudryk then controlled the ball and scored past goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his inaugural goal in Chelsea’s colours since joining the club in January.
80 seconds after Mudryk’s first blood in the 90th West London Derby, Chelsea doubled their lead with Broja’s effort. The Albanian had to thank Fulham’s defence for only his second goal for the club, as veteran defender Tim Ream mistimed his pass and the ball was intercepted by right winger Cole Palmer. The England player set up his strike partner with a delicious slot, and Broja made sure he capitalise on the opportunity to score his first goal of the 2023/2024 Season.
Mudryk’s and Broja’s goals in quick succession in the West London Derby meant Chelsea had finally found the back of the net after more than 47 attempts in their previous Premier League matches, helping the team to register their first league win since August, when they beat Luton Town 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.
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Poch After the West London Derby: “The Performance Was Really Good.”
Pochettino could not be any happier with his team’s performance against Fulham in this West London Derby. The Argentine stated: “The difference (tonight) is the result. The performance was really good. First half I think we played really well, second half we controlled the game. I’m pleased for Mudryk, and for Armando. For Misha because he has scored his first goal in the Premier League and then for Armando, after a long period out he’s scored again. The competition is really good for the team. It’s about maturity, adaptation. We need to understand that young people need time, need to settle. Massive change for him when he arrived here.
“I think when you arrive in a team, it’s not easy to settle because there were too many young players that arrived in a team (that) was not solid. They need to add something to the team, to build something important. Always it’s difficult, but it’s about time and to have patience, to trust these guys and these young, talented players, and to build their confidence. It’s a massive job. It’s step by step. Sometimes people have not the patience, but for us it’s about being patient. Even when we were losing and when we didn’t win from the beginning of the season, we were calm and kept the belief.”
The losing manager of the 90th West London Derby Marco Silva, on the other hand, had this to say for Fulham’s poor outing: “Disappointing result for us. At certain moments, performance-wise as well. They started intense from the first moment, winning some individual challenges that gave the boost they needed. Our first half was not aggressive enough on and off the ball. We were sloppy in some moments. We did not bring the dynamic that we should. Even our first pressure didn’t work very well.”
Chelsea to Make It Into the Top Half of the League Table?
Since Chelsea finished last season with a terrible 12th place, they are without any European club football obligations this season, meaning the Blues will be given enough rest after their 51st win in the West London Derby. Pochettino’s Blues will travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley, while the losing end of the West London Derby Fulham is set to host Sheffield United for Matchday 8 of the 2023/2024 Season next.
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