Chelsea returned to winning ways on Monday night, coming from behind to beat West Ham United 2-1 in a close-fought encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Jarrod Bowen put Graham Potter’s side ahead on his return to West London before goals from Pedro Neto and an own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka secured all three points for the Blues.
The victory puts Enzo Maresca’s side back into the Premier League’s top four, edging them closer to a return to Champions League football should they maintain the same position between now and the end of the season.
With just 14 games to go, it looks as though the Italian will have to extract the most out of the current crop of players, especially after the closure of the transfer window after the full-time whistle last night.
It was a busy day behind the scenes in the Bridge, with real hope that the boss has made the right decisions, subsequently improving their chances of securing a top-four spot come the end of May.
Chelsea’s dealings on transfer deadline day
It may have been a busy day at the Bridge yesterday, but most of the action came in the form of departures, with youngster Mathis Amougou the only player entering the door to bolster Maresca’s side.
However, numerous players completed moves away from the club, with Ben Chilwell joining fellow top-flight side Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the campaign – but the deal doesn’t include any option to buy upon its completion.
Carney Chukwuemeka departed on loan to join Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, but unlike a deal for Chilwell, it does include an option to buy should they want to trigger it in the coming months.
João Félix was the third player to leave on a temporary basis, linking up with AC Milan, just six months after returning to the club on a permanent basis, with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction.
However, the lack of investment may be a mistake, especially considering the performance of one player during the victory against their London rivals last night.
The player who proved why Chelsea had to spend in January
Maresca opted to start winger Jadon Sancho off the left wing during the win against the Hammers at Stamford Bridge, but the 24-year-old produced a performance to forget despite claiming all three points.
The Englishman was starting his second consecutive match after being recalled to the starting lineup against Manchester City last weekend but was unable to show why the Italian made the right call in sticking with him.
Sancho only featured for a total of 52 minutes during the victory, an indication of how little impact he made during his time on the pitch at the Bridge.
He was subsequently replaced by Neto, the man who netted the first goal, undoubtedly compounding the Englishman’s misery after failing to impress himself.
The attacker only managed a total of 20 touches, completing just eight passes in the process and losing possession seven times – looking wasteful with the ball at his feet upon the rare occasion it fell his way.
|
Sancho’s stats for Chelsea against West Ham |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Tally |
|
Minutes played |
52 |
|
Touches |
20 |
|
Passes completed |
8/10 (80%) |
|
Possession lost |
7x |
|
Crosses completed |
0/3 (0%) |
|
Shots taken |
2 |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Stats via SofaScore |
|
Sancho also failed to find a teammate with any of his three attempted crosses, only registering two efforts on goal, but failed to direct any of his shots on target – looking as wasteful in front of goal as he did when finding a teammate.
As a result of his showing in the capital last night, he was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by journalist Bobby Vincent – further highlighting how little impact he had during the crucial win.
Given his display, the decision not to go after a new winger in the January window now looks to be a mistake, with the Blues potentially missing out by not strengthening Maresca’s options in that area.
They had been linked Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel but while the former stayed at Old Trafford, the latter headed on loan to Spurs.
If the Italian does want any more new attackers, he will have to wait until the opening of the summer transfer window, with their chances of securing automatic qualification for the Champions League potentially hanging in the balance.
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