Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Fulham on Friday as Graham Potter’s side again lacked a clinical touch in front of goal.
Kai Havertz missed a trio of chances in the first half as Chelsea were frustrated by a resolute, counterattacking Fulham side. David Datro Fofana went close late on, when he showed skill in rounding goalkeeper Bernd Leno only for Tim Ream to block his shot on the line. A brief show of late pressure from the home side did not prove enough to break the deadlock.
The result means Potter’s side remain ninth in the table as they failed to leapfrog Fulham, who remain two points ahead of local rivals Chelsea in sixth.
- Plenty of new faces, but same result for Chelsea
A win on Friday would have cut the gap between Chelsea and fourth-place Man United to seven points. Instead, they drew 0-0 and showed that they’re not worth discussing as contenders for Champions League football next season. The fact the game went goalless — their third in their past six Premier League games — summed up their season so far.
Chelsea fans did get a first glimpse at Enzo Fernandez, the new Premier League record signee who arrived in the final minutes of Tuesday’s transfer deadline day. He wasn’t the only new face, either: fellow January arrivals, defenders Benoit Badiashile and Mykhailo Mudryk, were in the starting XI, while winger Noni Madueke and young forward David Datro Fofana came off the bench. Left out were new boys Malo Gusto and Andrey Santos, with Joao Felix absent due to a red card on his debut.
However, their immediate impact wasn’t enough to fix their issues. Fernandez looked commanding in holding midfield, while Badiashile barely put a foot wrong at the back. They were the highlights. Mudryk, after a promising start in his debut against Liverpool, barely got a kick on Tuesday and was replaced at half-time for Madueke, before the introduction of Fofana, who almost scored a winner when skipping around Bernd Leno in the 79th minute, only for Fulham and U.S. defender Tim Ream to scramble back and block a limp shot.
Even as Chelsea adjust to their new, fresh look, the task ahead of them is daunting. Chelsea remain stuck in 10th place and with a busy, tricky month ahead: they face two London derbies this month, against West Ham (Feb. 11) and Tottenham (Feb. 22), as well as a Champions League round of 16 clash with Dortmund (Feb. 15).
Given the time this squad will need to find the same page, it could be a hard February with more steps back than forward.
- Attacking woes continue to hamper Potter’s Blues
Kai Havertz has played various attacking roles since joining Chelsea in September 2020. He has made appearances in the “hole” behind the striker, and slightly wider as an inside-forward. More recently, Chelsea have turned to him as the hopeful cure for their goal-scoring woes in a central striker position. It hasn’t worked so far, and that’s never been more apparent than Friday night.
The Germany international had plenty of chances to add to his underwhelming six goals in all competitions this season, but missed each one. He failed to convert a diving shot at the back post early on, and then missed again moments later with a turn and volley. His best chance came on the stroke of half-time when he went one-on-one with Fulham goalkeeper Leno, only to see his chipped effort ding off the post.
Despite spending over £500m since Todd Boehly his ownership group took control of the club, Chelsea are still bereft of a dependable starting striker. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s career at Stamford Bridge looks increasingly over after he was omitted from their squad for the Champions League knockout stages. That leaves January signing Fofana, though his 15-minute cameo from the bench didn’t offer much early confidence.
Chelsea must find a solution quickly or face a painful remainder of the season. Potter’s side have scored just three goals in their last seven games in all competitions. They also have netted the fewest goals (22) in the Premier League top 10, and it’s not close.
- Fulham continue their impressive charge
Fulham fans were in full voice on Friday as they chanted, “There’s only one club in west London!” For so long, it wasn’t them, but this season they have enjoyed the unlikely result of sitting far above local rivals Chelsea.
Last month, they beat Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage in what was their first Premier League victory over the Blues since March 2006. On Friday, they had the chance to complete the league double over Chelsea for the first time in their history and while it ended with honours even, it did show why Fulham are enjoying such success. It’s no fluke: Marco Silva’s side limited Chelsea to just two shots on target and looked to striker Aleksandar Mitrovic at the other end to use his physical style to snatch a goal on the counterattack.
Note: This article is taken from espn.in
