Chelsea ratings: Cole Palmer crucial in win vs. Sheffield United

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge.

The home side created little in a quiet first half against a well-organized defense, leaving coach Mauricio Pochettino with plenty to do at the break. The Blues came out much stronger in the second half with Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer swapping positions. The change paid off quickly as Sterling beat his man before assisting Palmer for the opener in the 54th minute.

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Chelsea then doubled their lead on the hour mark when Nicolas Jackson stepped up as Palmer, who was the Blues' star man on the day, was involved again to save the assist.

Relegation-battling Sheffield United did not offer much of an answer as the hosts controlled the rest of the game to seal back-to-back league wins at Stamford Bridge for the first time this season.

Good points

Chelsea were ultimately proven right after making the attack change at half-time, while there was also promise from the midfield partnership between Moisés Caicedo and Conor Gallagher, who both dominated their battles throughout the match. Their display could make it difficult for Pochettino to bring midfielder Enzo Fernández back into the fold.

Negative points

A poor first-half performance from Chelsea saw them lack any real spark, and they finished the first 45 minutes with lower expected goals (xG) than the visitors, who have scored just 12 league goals all season. the season.

Manager's note

Mauricio Pochettino, 7 years old — Chelsea looked much more incisive in their work after the break, with Pochettino's tactical adjustments for Sterling and Palmer leading to improvement from them, and they quickly combined for the opening goal.

Player Ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Djordje Petrovic, 6 — The Serbian was rarely tested in his first Premier League start against a defensive-minded Sheffield United. Pushed an effort from distance in the second half that looked like it would go wide anyway. With Pochettino confirming that number 1 Robert Sánchez is expected to be out for “a few weeks”, Petrovic will face tougher tests as he fills in over the busy Christmas period.

DF Levi Colwill, 6 years old – The 20-year-old defender moved down the left flank to support Mykhailo Mudryk. He didn't let much develop for the opposition from his side in an assured performance.

DF Benoît Badiashile, 7 years old — Badiashile set the tone with a strong release from the back early on, and he continued to cause the Blades problems by creating an option in the final third. He was also strong in the challenge against a physical target man, Sheffield United's Oli McBurnie.

DF Thiago Silva, 7 years old — The Brazilian veteran looked comfortable as he read the play in defense to step in and regain possession for his team.

DF Axel Disasi, 7 years old — A great right-back performance from the French international, who kept things simple with his pass amid a strong defensive display.

MF Moisés Caicedo, 7 years old — The British record signing had plenty of the ball that day with the opposition trailing, and he was quick to extinguish the danger of potential attacks. Unlucky with a through ball that almost gave Jackson a big chance in the first half.

Mr. F. Conor Gallagher, 7 years old — A standout performance from the Chelsea captain saw him launch a number of attacks in anticipation of the game, while the England international always made the right decision going forward.

MF Mykhailo Mudryk, 5 years old — There wasn't enough space for the Ukrainian to work as several defenders looked to close him down, and he didn't take advantage of the moment when he found a moment to take a shot on goal, with his effort almost found it. the corner flag.

Mr. F. Cole Palmer, 8 years old — The 21-year-old looked most likely to make things happen from the No.10 role, and he always looked to play progressively despite often being crowded out by the Blades defense. He timed his run inside the box well to score the opener following Sterling's cutback. Palmer was then involved again on the hour mark as he set up Jackson for a tap-in.

Mr. F. Raheem Sterling, 6 years old — One of Sterling's best moments in the first half was when he worked hard to stop a dangerous counter-attack. Positive work after the break saw him beat his marker before cutting back for Palmer to score the opening goal.

FW Nicolas Jackson 6 — The striker came to life towards the end of the first half with a curling effort which sailed past the post and got on the scoresheet with an easy finish from Palmer's pass across goal.

Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes receive no rating)

Enzo Fernández (Mudryk, 69'), 6 — Introduced as Pochettino wanted his team to control the rest of the match.

Armando Broja (Sterling, 75'), N/R — Unable to score his first goal since October 2 in the short time he entered the field.

Malo Gusto (Jackson, 94'), N/R — A late addition in stoppage time when the match has already been won.

Ian Maatsen (Palmer, 94'), N/R — His introduction did nothing other than give Palmer the opportunity to receive applause from the home crowd.