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There have been few good days at Chelsea for Mauricio Pochettino, but this was one of the best. Not perfect, not especially pretty, but better.
And by better we mean functional. By better we mean they did a job, which in a season of setbacks is the kind of progress that should not be scorned.
Inflection point? Let’s not press it: this was Sheffield United at home. And this is Chelsea, a team that has become accustomed to hitting walls every time they threaten to go on a run.
But a win is a win and this was only the second in six games for Pochettino, who could once again see Cole Palmer as his most influential player.
With a goal and an assist for Nicolas Jackson, it was the 21-year-old who transformed this match from an exercise in frustration to a source of confidence.
Good play from Raheem Sterling helped Cole Palmer open the scoring at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson converted the ball into an empty net for his seventh goal of the season
Mauricio Pochettino will be relieved to get three points after Chelsea’s recent setbacks
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“I’m happy because the players deserved the victory,” said Pochettino, who can expect a tougher challenge in the League Cup quarter-final against Newcastle on Tuesday.
‘They worked very well during the week. They reacted. It helps us to be more confident but at the same time we need to be alive. We need to change if we want to improve.
“I’m happy because three points for us are really important and then on Tuesday we have a very important game against Newcastle.
‘With this victory we have a completely different feeling. “It’s really important for our confidence.”
For 45 minutes, this match had been a real slog: Chelsea had had a lot of possession, but the problem was that they didn’t know what to do with it.
Among those difficulties was the question of why Pochettino had left out Enzo Fernández, who almost a year ago had won the World Cup with Argentina.
Against a low block, he would have been useful here, but instead he was one of five changes to the team beaten by Everton with few obvious advantages.
If there was one positive in Chelsea’s game, it was that Conor Gallagher, always linked with long plays, was pressing well and providing some brilliance in the middle. Surely it would be foolish to lose it.
As for United, they were limited, although they did have sporadic moments of promise when targeting Chelsea’s left side.
Palmer drives in Chelsea’s first goal early in the second half to continue their positive form.
Palmer has proven to be an astute signing for Pochettino’s side since arriving from Manchester City.
If anything, those attacks may have led to their downfall, just as they emboldened those who opened up after the break. “We were naïve,” Wilder said, and that was true.
To Pochettino’s credit, there were also some subtle adjustments on his part, with the positioning of Raheem Sterling and Palmer altered for a more concerted attack through the middle.
Both men were key to the first goal, with Palmer playing for Sterling, who absorbed Andre Brooks before beating him on a five-yard run from a standing start.
Having gained space, Sterling approached Palmer to finish a quality play.
Jackson strikes from close range to double Chelsea’s lead just after the hour mark
Once they established a two-goal lead, there was no chance of Chelsea throwing it away.
A second quickly followed and was more valuable than beautiful. Sterling showed bravery by sticking his head into a bouncing ball and pushing his way through the crowd and, from those scruffy starts, Palmer was able to get close to Jackson for a tap-in. It was his first goal in five games.
Palmer almost created an identical assist for the third, but Armando Broja managed to miss an open goal from three yards.
“We had a crazy 15 minutes at the start of the second half, which can happen to a young team,” Wilder said. “They have players all over the field that can hurt you, but I felt there was something for us.”