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Sheffield United made it difficult for Chelsea in the night. After getting a win against United to give hope to their season, they almost got a draw against Chelsea if not for the help of Mendy, Chelsea's goalkeeper. It was not an easy match for Chelsea as they soon found out.
Sheffield United thought they have gotten a penalty in the 12th minute when the referee pointed to the spot only for VAR to rule it for offside before the foul occurred in the box. It was a relief for Chelsea.
Chelsea bombarded Sheffield United but they kept missing the tiny details and the fine margins. Warner had a good chance in the 25th minute but he couldn't score. He has been struggling in front of goals recently but his attitude, team effort and assists can never be overlooked and that explains why the coach still trusts him.
Sheffield United continued to show flashes of their brilliance while Chelsea continued to get close but the end product has been lacking. That last connection is missing. Sheffield United kept a high line which made it easier for Chelsea to continually fall into the offside trap.
Mason Mount came close in the 36th minute when he blasted his shot after a brilliant effort from Kean Bryan was needed to block the shot. The referee ruled for offside but Bryan still felt the impact of that shot.
Chelsea tried everything to get behind Sheffield United's defence and the found their moment in the 43rd minute when Mason Mount gave the less. Warner was played through and he expertly cut the ball to feed Mason. Mason Mount didn't waste any time as he hit it one time and the ball went to the bottom corner. It was a beautiful goal and deserving of the effort Mount has put into this game. 1-0.
The goal came on time before the half time, so Chelsea took their lead into half time.
The second half started brightly too and a beautifully lofted pass found Giroud from Kovacic. He managed to get the shot but he was ruled for a foul and a freekick was given to Sheffield United instead.
Sheffield United decided to respond in the 54th minute and it paid off when Burke chased down the ball as there was a lack of communication between Rudiger and Mendy. The goalkeeper rushed out rather than stay and Rudiger passed rather than check the position of the goalkeeper. The ball trickled down into the back of the net for an own goal and Sheffield came back into the game. 1-1.
Chelsea didn't want a repeat of United's game and 2 minutes after, they responded and got their lead again. The foul on Werner in the box by the goalkeeper was not initially given as the referee looked to his assistant who didn't wave the flag. The VAR stepped in and the referee had a second look at the monitor before giving Chelsea the penalty. You would expect Werner to take it seeing he has struggled for goals but Jorginho took it and converted in the 58th minute to restore Chelsea's lead. Sheffield United gave the ball away easily which made Werner pounce and get that penalty when Ramsdal fouled him.
A minute after, Sheffield United had a shout for a penalty of their own but it was not given. McGoldrick was introduced in the 62nd minute with the hope that he would drag his team back level. He has had 7 goals and 3 of those came against Chelsea.
Sheffield United came alive and tried everything to get a draw. They came close several times too.
Fleck ran into the Chelsea box unchecked in the 75th minute and could have grabbed that equalizer but he was unable to hit the ball well. Sheffield United ran Chelsea ragged for the final time left in the game while Chelsea held on to their lead and relied on counter-attacks.
Brewster had decent chances in the 91st minute and stuck his effort twice but were both blocked while Billy Sharp was denied also on the 96th minute. It was a brave effort from Sheffield United towards the end of the game and they have been unlucky in recent times too as they failed to get the result their performance warranted. They always suffer from conceding first and this game was the 17th time they conceded first in a game.
Thomas Tuchel would be happy with his start as a Chelsea boss, after having 10 points from a possible of 12points - 1 draw, 3 wins. It was a great result by Chelsea but not a great performance but the result is all that matters and they got it.
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