Chilwell the likeliest lad for Chelsea
THE home-grown kids are still all right, it turns out. So much had been made of Chelsea’s expensive Germanic imports this summer, it was perhaps easy to overlook the less eye-catching addition of a left-back from the perennially-unglamorous Milton Keynes.
But this was Ben Chilwell’s afternoon, a Premier League debut to remember for his new club. Assisting him were a raft of academy graduates: Kurt Zouma heading home, Callum HudsonOdoi disciplined and daring in equal measure and Tammy Abraham, always threatening, not least when trying to grab a penalty off Jorginho at the end.
Frank Lampard gave him short shrift for that but it was a reminder that the new Chelsea will need to be a blend of expensive signings and youth team graduates, more exotic overseas recruitment and some bog standard obvious English ones. And if the best left-back since Ashley Cole is emerging, then why not sign him?
Chilwell was outstanding with a fine finish and a glorious assist and, in the second half at least, he was a constant threat. ‘Ben Chilwell was fantastic, his contribution in all senses,’ said Lampard. ‘He gets his goal, he gets an assist, his defensive play, his engine to arrive in attack on the left-hand side: he was always ready to join in, getting up and down, even with the injury he’s had. He’s Premier League ready, he know that but he looked like he’d played for us for a long time.’
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made his first save on 64 minutes. As for Thiago Silva, this was more like the imperious display we have come to expect rather the chastening initiation of being dumped on his backside at West Brom.
‘In the first half there was not enough movement and penetration which is probably to be expected in the period we’re in,’ insisted Lampard. ‘It was not as bright as I wanted it.’
The one time Kai Havertz did get a 40-yard clear run in midfield on 22 minutes — and he carried the ball superbly — he released Timo Werner, who should have scored but drilled his shot at Vicente Guaita. The key point, however, was that it came from a counter attack, Thiago Silva having robbed Jordan Ayew outside the box. Therein lies the problem: Chelsea were in possession the majority of the time, but were only a threat when breaking suddenly from deep.
Where the first half had gone so well for Palace, the second half started with the kind of mistakes that are anathema to a Roy Hodgson side. On 50 minutes, Mamadou Sakho bodged his clearance and Hudson-Odoi pounced to touch the ball to Azpilicueta. His deflected cross was only half-heartedly headed away by Cheikhou Kouyaté and fell for Chilwell.
On the half volley, he hit the ball with such power Vicente Guiata barely had a chance to react. Against Palace and Hodgson sides, the breakthrough is all-important and Chelsea had theirs.
Zouma should have made it 2-0 on 59 minutes when Chilwell delivered the perfect corner on to his head, but he directed it wide. He made amends 10 minutes later. Palace cleared the initial danger from a corner but the ball broke clear and Hudson-Odoi pushed it on to Chilwell. ‘Stop the cross!’ bellowed Palace assistant Ray Lewington so loudly that he probably alerted even the Chelsea Pensioners at the Royal Hospital to the danger. But they didn’t stop the cross. Chilwell delivered, once again on to the head of Zouma, who this time headed firmly home.
Now the mistakes came thick and fast. Tyrick Mitchell bundled over Abraham in the box on 78 minutes to concede a penalty. And Jorginho was back to being a penalty-taking metronome after his uncharacteristic miss last weekend, to dispatch the spotkick, rolled home for 3-0.
On 81 minutes it was Sakho, again clumsily controlling and then bringing down Havertz, to present another spot-kick.
There was a brief tussle for the penalty-taking rights, Abraham wanting to assume the mantle before captain Azpilicueta intervened and Jorginho was restored to his rightful place. He rolled the ball to the right again to complete a comfortable win.