Tonight’s Carabao Cup game is already upon us, yet we’ve barely had a chance to look back at Saturday’s game yet.
It was a really impressive showing form Enzo Maresca’s team, who blew away a putrid West Ham with a strong early barrage and never really looked uncomfortable after that. West Ham ended the game with more shots than Maresca’s men – but the game didn’t have that feel at all. The Blues eased off when they had a comfortable lead, and eased off as time ticked by.
Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo were the two standout players for most people. The former got a couple of goals and an assist, the latter dominated midfield and put in perhaps his best performance in a Chelsea shirt so far.
Much maligned goalkeeper shows what he can do
They were top and second in the WhoScored rating charts, racking up an amazing 9.08 and an 8.80 respectively. Those two have had plenty of praise – but the player who came third has been a little less hailed. We’ve been harsh on Robert Sanchez since he came to the club – and in large part that’s because we just didn’t think he was a good signing.
But that’s not his fault, and he deserves praise when he plays well just as much as anyone.
He had a great overall showing in this game, but it was particularly his ability to claim crosses and corners which stood out in this game. In a season where set pieces are becoming something of a dominant theme, Sanchez’s strengths are potentially coming to the fore.
We hope this good game helps build his confidence. He was good on the ball in this match too, keeping error free and looking like the sweeper keeper we were promised at the start.
If he keeps this up, the whole team will be looking better.