HOW DID YOU NOT WIN THAT POCH?
Chelsea dominate for 76 minutes — then play like hapless under-nines Chelsea 2 Palmer 15 (pen), Mudryk 48 Arsenal 2 Rice 77, Trossard 84
IT was the best of games and the worst of games for Chelsea. It seemed as though the wisdom of the new regime was finally coming to fruition and yet the foolishness of youth was eventually exposed. Whether this will be a season of light or darkness remains to be seen, whether they are heading for a winter of despair or a spring of new hope.
At the end of it all, they can take away the positives if they like and tell themselves they have never played better under Mauricio Pochettino nor indeed since Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali took over the club. They can delight in 76 minutes of superb football, Arsenal utterly outplayed. And yet they will have to explain how, having the game won and Arsenal in their pocket, they contrived to be hanging on for dear life at the end. The answer is to be found in the obvious.
The criticism of their billion pound outlay at this club is that the balance of the squad is wrong, far too weighted towards youth. There’s a reason why Alan Hansen once said you don’t win anything with kids, even if he was wrong. Occasionally the vitality of youth springs into life and you can glimpse a bright future. That was the story until 77 minutes.
And then there are the mistakes that young players make. Chelsea were cruising towards three points when Robert Sanchez passed the ball out from goal. Conor Gallagher had switched off and Declan Rice retrieved the ball 25 yards out and promptly passed it back into the net.
Everybody understands the root philosophy of passing out from the back, how the rewards outweigh the risks. And yet in moments like this it’s impossible to escape the feeling you’re watching the under-nines rather than elite professionals.
Suddenly Arsenal were back in the game. Bukayo Saka, kept quiet by Marc Cucurella until then, was full of life. His cross swung in on 84 minutes and Malo Gusto stood motionless as Leandro Trossard sprinted past him to connect and finish superbly. No one could really believe it, least of all the delirious Arsenal fans who had no doubt resigned themselves to defeat.
Until that moment this had been Chelsea’s day. And in particular Mykhailo Mudryk’s. Cross or shot?
When it was Ronaldinho, 2002, it was plausible to believe the latter. Mudryk, 2023? His team-mates would have you believe he is capable of the same. And even those who are cynical about that claim should not begrudge him his moment here.
The Ukrainian has had a miserable time since landing in the Premier League in January with the ‘potential Ballon D’Or winner’ moniker. Ironically, Arsenal wanted him — and they had him until Boehly gazumped them. Since then his form has made him the poster boy for Boehly’s blunders.
This is a player whose own manager was regularly beating in the crossbar challenge they play after training, who has looked lost in a new environment. It would be surprising if his own nation’s trials were not a factor in that bewilderment. But it all finally came together on 48 minutes. Perhaps the greater significance will be just how sloppily Arsenal conceded the ball in midfield through Ben White
Cucurella drove the ball on and rolled it to Mudryk. He looked up and curled the ball goalwards, you suspect hoping that Cole Palmer or Raheem Sterling could connect.
Instead, with David Raya scrambling back on to his line, the ball swirled and bent its way into the far top corner. It was for moments like this that Chelsea paid £88million. Mudryk’s joy was unconfined. When he left he field on 65 minutes, it was to a standing ovation and an embrace from Pochettino. You hope he is starting to feel the love.
He had already contributed his part to what had been the best half of football Chelsea have played under Pochettino. They looked a coherent unit, solid at the back, dogged in midfield, rapacious down the wings, Sterling especially vigorous. Palmer wasn’t brought here to play centre-forward but the energy he brought to the position, the runs he made and the calm way he scored his penalty made him a more than able stand-in.
The manner in which Cucurella started this game, physical and robust with Saka, demonstrated an intent not to be dominated. Arsenal haven’t often look bewildered this season, yet here they struggled. When they had the ball, the couldn’t break Chelsea’s defensive lines. When Chelsea had it, they were exposed, Oleksandr Zinchenko leaving Sterling plenty of space to run into. Zinchenko was relieved of his duties at half-time, Takehiro Tomiyasu coming on to spare him more pain.
That said, the penalty by which Chelsea took the lead had even John Terry somewhat aghast at how the rules are interpreted these days. Sterling’s cross was met by Mudryk’s header. William Saliba, arm outstretched — ‘un-natural position’ the regulations would say — jumped with him and the ball struck his hand from extreme close range. Once we would all have agreed the contact was accidental, but now we have the tyranny of clarity. VAR Jarred Gillett told ref Chris Kavanagh to check the screen and the penalty was duly awarded, as it always now is. Palmer assumed the responsibility and sent Raya the wrong way.
It seemed an afternoon when elements of the Boehly-Eghbali project came into view. In the end, the brittleness and callow nature of their squad was laid bare. CHELSEA (4-3-3): Sanchez 5; Gusto 5, Thiago Silva 7, Colwill 6, Cucurella 8; Caicedo 7, Fernandez 7, Gallagher 6; Sterling 8 (Madueke 84min) Palmer 8 (James 84), Mudryk 8 (Jackson 65, 5). Booked: Thiago Silva, Cucurella, Palmer. Subs (not used): Disasi, Badiashile, Ugochukwu, Petrovic, Maatsen, Da Souza. ARSENAL (4-3-3): Raya 5; White 5, Saliba 6, Gabriel 6, Zinchenko 4 (Tomiyasu 46, 7); Rice 7, Jorginho 5 (Smith Rowe 68, 7), Odegaard 7 (Havertz 78); Saka 7, Jesus 5 (Nketiah 68, 7), Martinelli 6 (Trossard 79). Booked: White, Zinchenko, Nketiah. Subs (not used): Hein, Partey, Kiwior, Nelson. Referee: C Kavanagh (Lancashire) 7.