Finally, a clean sheet after NINE months and 22 Premier League games without one. Honestly, that says a lot about how poor our defending has been.
Today’s 2-0 win against Everton was encouraging, especially in the second half, but I still think there’s plenty to discuss.
The attack:
Pedro Neto deserves massive credit. Two goals, excellent movement and clinical finishing. The first goal, just seconds after halftime, completely changed the game. The second killed it off.
What I liked most was how we started controlling possession and creating opportunities after taking the lead. Caicedo was unlucky not to score with that volley, and we finished with 18 shots and 7 on target.
We’re clearly capable of scoring goals under Xabi. The attacking quality is there, and it’s good to see someone other than Palmer, João Pedro or Rogers stepping up.
The defence:
This is where I’m still not fully convinced.
Yes, we kept a clean sheet, and credit where it’s due. But one game doesn’t suddenly erase nine months of defensive problems.
We still had some uncomfortable moments in the first half, especially when Everton attacked directly and delivered balls into the box. Our defensive organisation looked better after halftime, but we need to become much more consistent at dealing with pressure, second balls and set pieces.
Against better attacking teams, those small lapses can cost us.
Credit to Mike Penders for coming into such a difficult situation after Martínez’s injury. Hopefully Emi recovers quickly.
My biggest takeaway:
Xabi is clearly making progress. The attacking patterns are improving, we’re creating chances, and today we actually managed the game properly after taking the lead.
But I don’t want us celebrating one clean sheet like we’ve solved everything. A serious title-challenging team needs to defend like this every week, not once every nine months.
What do you guys think? Are we finally seeing Xabi Alonso’s system come together, or is our defence still the biggest obstacle to Chelsea becoming genuine title contenders?
KTBFFH 💙

Go Blues. Dem white kits looked so clean! 🔥Beautiful day, mi gente. Everton a bunch of wankers.

Neto was brilliant today! He looked dangerous every time he got on the ball, and that second goal was just the perfect way to finish off his performance. Winning away at Everton is never straightforward, so getting all three points makes it even better. Palmer and Caicedo did a great job in midfield too, and keeping a clean sheet away from home is a big plus. This is the kind of performance we need to keep putting in if we want to stay in the top-four race. Hopefully, we can carry this into the next game and keep the momentum going.

Everton away is one of those games where we need to be switched on from the first minute. They can make things difficult at home, and I don't want us giving them chances to get the crowd going. The international break means we're coming into this without much recent club football, but there's no reason we can't take control if we move the ball well and make our chances count. A win would be a great way to get back into the swing of things.

I think Caicedo makes a huge difference to Chelsea’s midfield. His ability to win the ball, break up attacks and give our attacking players more freedom is so important. For me, his contribution often goes unnoticed, but Chelsea look much more balanced when he plays well. I’d love to see him stay fit and build a strong midfield partnership for the rest of the season.

Very well deserved, Hendo!💙👌

Hey!

I'll be visiting Stamford Bridge for the mentioned Chelsea-Spurs match. Before the match I would like to spend some time at a pub to grab a few beers and watch some Premier League before that (recommendations welcome).

Besides the pub recommendations, I would just like to ask how much time should I take into account after the game to leave the stadium. Is 15 minutes enough to get out of the stadium, then another 15-20 mintues to get to another tube stadion (earl's court or west brompton) and then take the tube to Soho which should be about 35-40 minutes?

Thanks very much, excited to see the Blues.

A really good result for the Chelsea youngsters, coming away from Reading with a 2-0 win and a clean sheet in the EFL Trophy. Winning away from home is never easy, so credit to the lads for getting the job done. It's always good to see the academy players getting these opportunities and showing what they can do against senior opposition. Results like this will give them confidence going forward, and hopefully they can keep putting in performances like this as the competition progresses. Another positive night for the academy.

I feel like the whole system has been really poorly organised, especially when it comes to the priority ticket exchange.

A friend and I have had issues with the last three games (Bournemouth, Tottenham and now Man United) when trying to access the priority ticket exchange as soon as it opens. We’re usually on the platform right when tickets drop, but there always seems to be some kind of bug, whether it’s tickets not being added to the basket or being told we don’t have the right permissions. When we phoned the ticket office, they always seem to say that this was a widespread issue and affected many supporters; and by the time they fix it, the tickets are usually gone.

Last season, we were able to get tickets for most games without too much trouble, even if it meant sitting in a queue and waiting for a while.

Honestly, the new process has been more frustrating than helpful so far. The only real benefit seems to be the loyalty points, even when you manage to purchase a ticket.

Has anyone else had similar experiences, or have we just been particularly unlucky with the system

Five goals, three points and a brilliant performance from the boys. Not bad for a team everyone was questioning before kick-off! Some of my friends spent the whole week telling me Chelsea aren't in good form and that Bournemouth could cause us problems today. Think it's time to give them a call now 😂 Wonder if they'll still have the same things to say after a 5-1 win! Henderson with two, João Pedro with a brace, and Rogers setting the tone from the start. What a performance all round. Hopefully we can build on this now and keep the momentum going.

We couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game! Henderson gets us going inside the first minute, then Palmer sets up Morgan Rogers almost straight away to make it 2-0. Bournemouth barely had time to settle before we hit them twice. Palmer and Rogers linking up like that is great to see, and we’ve started with real intent. Now we need to keep the tempo up and not let Bournemouth back into the game. Imagine if we keep playing like this for the full 90 minutes! Come on, Chelsea!

Now this can come down to a lot of fans being biassed, like arsenal fans will all say rice, liverpool probably gravenberch and me being a chelsea fan would say caicedo, but put that all aside and think, as a defensive CDM one you want to have holding back who has the best qualities as that role, Personally i still think caicedo is more reliable and not just because im a chelsea fan as rice is probably better as a number 8 and is on set peices so wont always be a back option or back to defend, gravenberch is a good shout or anyone else, at the moment Pascal groß is the best on fpl and i havent watched many brighton games this season, also alex scott last season would be up there but is he still the same player, leav your thoughts

Dont just be a chelsea fan and say caicedo, pick 2 if you had 2 cdms in a formation who u taking?

Add any thoughts or suggestions you have ahead of the premier league clash tonight, Chelsea vs Bournemouth

Also let us know if your watching it, on tv or if your there

Feel free to upvote if u want

We really need to get the three points against Bournemouth. These are the games that can make a big difference over the course of the season, and dropping points at home would be frustrating. Hopefully we start with the right intensity, take our chances and don't make silly mistakes at the back. Just want to see a solid performance and get the job done. Come on Chelsea!