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Derby Day provided a timely reminder of the particular talent that resides in Chelsea’s attacking ranks.
In an occasion that always promises its fair share of thrills and spills, the Blues showed their power of recovery to overcome a two-goal deficit to come out of the game 4-3 away win at fierce London rivals Tottenham.
Like “Tottenham Hotspurit happened again” echoed from the side, Enzo Maresca enjoyed his biggest win to date as Chelsea boss, taking his side to second place in the league and extending their unbeaten run to eight in all competitions.
Although an imperfect display, the result speaks volumes for Chelsea’s newfound resilience under Maresco, with one of the league’s forgotten strengths coming to the fore on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon in north London.
Jadon Sanchoa player much maligned for his inconsistency during his Premier League career so far has been central to Chelsea’s triumph. Showing his hitherto unfulfilled potential, Sancho was the brilliant spark and catalyst behind a comeback that looked unlikely after 15 minutes.
In a weekend marked by red flags, Chelsea found themselves at the panic stations early on, falling just five minutes behind. Dominic Solanke provided the golden touch, curling into the top corner after Brennan Johnson chased down Marco Cucurello to a critical error on the right.
Six minutes later, Spurs were ahead – this time Dejan Kulusevski finished in the bottom corner after another mistake by Kukurela, something that led to a hasty change of boots for the Spaniard.
Chelsea had a mountain to climb and with a bit of a fall, Sancho produced a moment of magic to provide a break. Cutting in from the left wing, the 24-year-old drove into empty space before firing a low shot at the far post, putting the Blues right back in the game in the 18th minute.
Sancho would continue to be a nuisance against Pedro Porro, who struggled to contain the former Manchester United man. And while Spurs held on until half-time, more damage was soon to be done.
Maresca’s side came out of the tunnel hungry for an equaliser, bombing Fraser Forster’s box and quickly creating an opportunity to equalise, with Sancho once again at the heart of the attacking play.
After putting his shoulder down on Tim Werner, he played a deft pass to mis-hit the Spurs backline and allow Caicedo to storm into the box, who was promptly cleared by Yves Bissouma to earn a spot-kick.
Cole Palmer converted his first of the afternoon and with Chelsea in the swing of things, Spurs were swept by the tide. Given more and more space, Sancho continued to shine down the flanks, playing his part as Enzo Fernandez put the Blues in front before Palmer Panenka put the game out of sight.
Making it four wins from five against Spurs, the win acts as a statement in the title race, with fans now beginning to truly believe in Chelsea’s status as serious contenders.
All the pieces seem to be coming together under their new boss, whose players are ultimately proving worth the investment week in and week out.
And while some felt the Sancho signing was a particular gamble on damaged goods, Maresca had no doubt the £73m man would be a good fit. What the Spaniard is looking for is reliability.
“I said from the beginning that the reason Jadon came here is because we think Jadon will help us,” Maresca said in his post-match press conference.
“Unfortunately, he had a little problem, so he was out for a while. Now he’s back. The only thing he needs to do is to continue in the same way. He can’t fall or he won’t play.”
However, it wouldn’t be the first time Sancho has given false hope that he is returning to the stellar form of his Borussia Dortmund days.
Consistency is key for the winger, something he has failed to find in a Man Utd shirt for three seasons. There have been flashes of brilliance and good games, but success on the pitch has never been long-term since the Kennington prodigy returned home in 2021.
After falling out of favor under Erik ten Hag, a loan move to Dortmund in the second half of last term allowed Sancho to begin to show that all is not lost. But even after showing brilliance in black and yellow, United opted for a clean break in the summer.
Sancho has been offered a fresh start in west London, with the Chelsea hierarchy admitting that at 24, much of his career is yet to be known. And what Sunday’s performance proved, without any doubt, is that there are still a lot of players out there.
After a strong performance at Southampton in midweek, Sancho is quickly making his mark on Chelsea’s left wing and if he continues in that position, he could prove key in bringing the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge.
Given his temperamental footballing past, that’s a big deal at this stage – just ask any United fan. But Maresca appears to be up to the challenge and if he can get the best out of Sancho, his summer signing could prove the coup of the season.