Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
THREE TU WON
Tuchel blunts Blades to seal third victory on the bounce for the Blues
FRANK who? Frank Lampard’s achievements as a Chelsea player will never be forgotten, but the furore over his sacking as manager will fade the longer Thomas Tuchel keeps winning.
This victory made it three straight wins since that draw with Wolves in Tuchel’s first match in charge.
In two short weeks at the Blues’ helm, the German (right) has revived Chelsea’s Champions League hopes, which had nosedived in Lampard’s final few weeks in the Stamford Bridge job.
The Blues have climbed to fifth and are just a point outside the top four in this wide-open race for the Champions League places.
Mason Mount made his third successive start under Tuchel and justified the new Chelsea boss’ faith in him by opening the scoring with a clinical finish.
The maligned Timo Werner was influential and the German striker was involved in both Chelsea goals, even though his wait to find the back of the net continues.
For Sheffield United, the game followed a depressingly familiar pattern and they battled hard, missed an early chance, gave everything, but ultimately came up short. The Blades were given a lifeline when Antonio Rudiger scored an owngoal to level the game, but they quickly let it slip from their grasp and are now 12 points from safety. United might have taken an early lead when Oli Mcburnie fed Oliver Burke on the left and the Blades striker fired into the side netting.
The hosts were positive and thought they had won a penalty when Ben Chilwell caught Chris Basham’s standing leg.
Referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot and Ollie Norwood stepped up to take the kick, only for VAR Simon Hooper to correctly overturn the decision because Basham had been marginally offside.
Chelsea created little
initially, although Rudiger shot wide from long range and Chilwell headed over from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.
That all changed two minutes before the interval when Chelsea sliced the Blades open down the left with a sweeping move.
Werner was heavily involved and he laid the ball off to Mateo Kovacic before making an incisive run down the left.
Chilwell found Werner with a curling pass and he pulled the ball back to Mount, who expertly slotted home into the far corner from 12 yards, giving keeper Aaron Ramsdale no chance.
Chelsea were in control, only for Rudiger to drop a right clanger to giftwrap the Blades an unexpected equaliser in the 54th minute. Rather than hoof the ball clear when Mcburnie failed to find Burke with a pass, Rudiger attempted to play it back to Blues keeper Edouard Mendy and knocked it past him into the net.
It was a farcical way for Chelsea to concede their first goal of Tuchel’s reign.
Fortunately for them, it was not costly and the Blues retook the lead four minutes later through a Jorginho penalty after referee Friend initially waved away their appeals.
Ramsdale caught Werner, who had latched on to Kean Bryan’s weak backpass, and Friend eventually gave the spot-kick after being advised by Hooper to review it on the pitchside monitor.
The Blades fought until the end and Mendy saved an overhead kick from Billy Sharp in stoppage time.