3 key passes, 3 dribbles: Chelsea’s 8/10 "monster" was as vital as Palmer
da bet7k： Well, that all got a little bit tense towards the end there.
da realbet： Following their painful 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool last week, Chelsea bounced back in the best way possible with a hard-fought win against the ever-unpredictable Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon.
There was plenty of pressure on Enzo Maresca’s men heading into this home clash, and while there were a few players who weren’t quite at the best for the Blues, there were also several standout performers, including Cole Palmer and one of the summer signings.
Palmer's performance in numbers
The sky is blue, water is wet, and Palmer has put in yet another masterclass of a performance for Chelsea.
The Englishman may have been slightly underwhelming against the Reds last time out, but he looked back to his very best today and, as he so often does nowadays, was running the show for the Blues.
Unsurprisingly, the former Manchester City ace was named the Player of the Match and seemed to impress the Sun’s Lloyd Canfield, who gave him a 9/10 at full-time, writing that ‘Newcastle simply could not handle the midfield man’ and that he was ‘nonchalance personified.’
Such a glowing review of the 21-year-old’s performance is backed up by his statistics.
In his 96 minutes of action, he scored one goal from a total expected goals figure of 0.05, took 56 touches, played two key passes, played four long balls, won four of seven ground duels, won three fouls and even made an interception.
Palmer’s game in numbers
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.05
Goals
1
Touches
56
Key Passes
2
Ground Duels (Won)
7 (4)
Long Balls (Accurate)
8 (4)
Shots on Target
1
Fouls Won
3
Interceptions
1
All Stats via Sofascore
However, while Palmer was excellent and deserves the attention he’s getting, one of his teammates was arguably just as good today.
Pedro Neto's performance in numbers
Yes, Pedro Neto is the other Chelsea player who deserves plenty of plaudits after this afternoon’s crucial win.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers “monster”, as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, was sensational against the Toon, and while he didn’t score a goal, he came painfully close in the second half and picked up the assist for Nicolas Jackson’s opening goal.
We aren’t the only ones who were seriously impressed with the summer signing’s display either, as Canfield was full of praise for the Portuguese international, awarding him an 8/10 and writing that he provided ‘so much pace down the left-hand side’ and that he lept ‘like a salmon’ when his header hit the post in the second half.
Neto’s game in numbers
Minutes
96′
Expected Goals
0.20
Expected Assists
0.42
Assists
1
Passing Accuracy
28/30 (93%)
Key Passes
3
Shots
5
Dribbles (Complete)
4 (3)
Hit Woodwork
1
Fouls won
2
Interceptions
2
All Stats via Sofascore
Like his younger teammate, the 24-year-old winger’s statistics from the game more than justify Canfield’s generous praise, as in his 96 minutes of action, he produced a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.62, provided one assist, took 53 touches, played three key passes, took five shots, completed three of four dribbles, hit the woodwork once, and made two interceptions as well.
Now, it is still too early to say with any certainty whether the dynamic attacker will be the player to make Chelsea’s left-wing position his own, but if he can play like he did today with any consistency, we struggle to see who’ll take that place from him.
Chelsea thought they had the 'next Ashley Cole" but Jose sold him for £1.5m
Chelsea have several excellent young talents, but they once thought the next Ashley Cole was in their academy…
ByRoss KilvingtonOct 26, 2024
Ultimately, the game might not have been as straightforward as Chelsea fans would have liked, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, and Palmer and Neto massively impressed.
