Sheffield United 1-2 Chelsea: Blues edge Blades to close on Premier League top four
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ByEurosport
Updated 07/02/2021 at 21:33 GMT
Premier League, Bramall Lane - Sheffield United 1 (Rudiger og 55') Chelsea 2 (Mount 43', Jorginho 58' pen)
Jorginho (2nd L) celebrates
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea moved to within a point of fourth-placed Liverpool thanks to a narrow victory at Sheffield United, as Thomas Tuchel extended his unbeaten start as Blues boss.
Mason Mount marked another standout performance with the opener as Chelsea took the lead on the stroke of half-time at Bramall Lane. He popped up in a pocket of space to rifle home from Timo Werner's pass to break Sheffield United's resilience.
The hosts will have been cursing their luck having squandered a gilt-edged opportunity 30 seconds in when Oli Burke failed to hit the target when through on goal, before Ben Chilwell fouled Chris Basham inside the penalty area only to be reprieved by the offside flag.
The Blades were level 10 minutes after the restart thanks to a howler from Antonio Rudiger, who tried to play a blind pass back to Edouard Mendy only for the ball to bypass the goalkeeper and roll over the line for a comical own goal.
But Chelsea weren't to be denied as they restored their advantage, with Jorginho coolly stroking home a penalty after Werner was upended by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Tuchel's side comfortably saw the game out from there, with Chelsea securing the victory that sees them climb to fifth, while Sheffield United remain bottom, some 12 points from safety.
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Mason Mount celebrates
Image credit: Getty Images
TALKING POINT - Mount and Werner shine as Tuchel remains unbeaten
You had to fear the worst for Mason Mount when he was excluded from Tuchel's first game in charge, a goalless draw with Wolves. But the 22-year-old has been underlining his importance to the team since, starring in the victories over Burnley and Tottenham, and he was excellent once again at Sheffield United. Tuchel has identified his ability to play in a more advanced role than he had been previously deployed under Frank Lampard, and they are both reaping the rewards.
Werner is also stepping up to the mark under Tuchel. It may be another game without registering on the scoresheet but his overall game has been much improved, and he was involved in both goals. His movement was excellent for the first and he would surely have scored Chelsea's second had he not been taken out by Ramsdale to win the penalty.
So it has been an encouraging start for the Blues under Tuchel, who has now accumulated 10 points from a possible 12, conceding just one goal. It's still very much a work in progress, but Chelsea are moving in the right direction, and a place in the top-four is firmly back in sight.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Timo Werner (Chelsea)
A tireless shift from the forward, whose clever runs behind the Sheffield United defence caused the hosts untold problems.
PLAYER RATINGS
Sheffield United: Ramsdale 5, Basham 6, Egan 6, Bryan 6, Bogle 7, Lundstram 6, Norwood 6, Fleck 6, Lowe 6, Burke 6, McBurnie 5. Subs: Sharp 5, McGoldrick 5, Brewster N/A.
Chelsea: Mendy 5, Azpilicueta 7, Rudiger 7, Christensen 6, James 6, Jorginho 7, Kovacic 7, Chilwell 7, Mount 8, Werner 8, Giroud 6. Subs: Alonso 5, Kante 5, Hudson-Odoi 5.
KEY MOMENTS
1' - CHANCE! The hosts almost take the lead just 30 seconds in! McBurnie slips a ball through the lines and finds Burke, who just has the goalkeeper to beat. He tries to beat Mendy at his near-post but inexplicably fails to hit the target!
13' - PENALTY DECISION OVERTURNED BY VAR! Chilwell misjudges the flight of the ball as Basham controls a deep cross on his chest and is then brought down by the Chelsea full-back. The referee points to the spot, but VAR is having a look for a potential offside. The decision goes against Sheffield United as Basham was in an offside position when the cross came in.
43' - GOAL! Sheffield United 0-1 Chelsea (Mount): Mount breaks the deadlock just before half-time! Werner spreads the ball wide continues his run and receives the ball down the line. He cuts it back to Mount who finishes excellently with a low shot into the bottom corner.
55' - GOAL! Sheffield United 1-1 Chelsea (Rudiger own-goal): Oh my, what a howler from Rudiger! Mendy races off his line, Rudiger should clear it out of touch but opts to play a blind pass back to his goalkeeper. It bypasses Mendy and rolls over the line, and Sheffield United are level!
59' - GOAL! Sheffield United 1-2 Chelsea (Jorginho pen): With a little hop and a skip in his run-up, Jorginho slots the penalty into the bottom corner, and Chelsea have the lead once more.
KEY STATS
- Chelsea have only conceded one goal in their first four Premier League games under Thomas Tuchel – their fewest through a manager’s first four league games in charge since Guus Hiddink in February/March 2009.
- Aged 22 years and 28 days, Mason Mount is the second-youngest player to score 10 Premier League goals for Chelsea, after only Arjen Robben (21y 342d).
- Nine of Jorginho's 11 Premier League goals have come from the penalty spot (82%) - this is the highest ratio of any player with 10+ goals in the competition's history.
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