Chelsea beat Sheffield United 2-0 but their performance did not impress Mauricio Pochettino. While Cole Palmer's inspiration led to goals from Palmer and Nicholas Jackson, Chelsea struggled to break through the opposition's dense defence in the first half. Pochettino, who is known for his aggressive, aggressive attacking style, will not believe Chelsea have transformed and can make a push for the top of the table.
Despite the absence of a number of key players, including Enzo Fernandez on the bench, Chelsea failed to make the most of their possession advantage in a lackluster first half. The team lacked a sense of urgency and struggled to find attacking ideas in Sheffield United's formation. Their attacking style has been lackluster, with Palmer regularly being marked by Vinnie Susha, while the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk have squandered a few chances.
The breakthrough came in the second half when Palmer fed in a low pass for Raheem Sterling, which he slotted into the back of the net. Chelsea then extended their lead and the brilliant combination of Palmer, Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling resulted in a simple push from Jackson. Sheffield United's best chance came from Cameron Archer's shot diverted, only to miss the target. Although the win lifted Chelsea into 10th place and gave them their first consecutive home wins since October 2022, Pochettino was not satisfied. Chelsea's lack of aggression, intensity and speed of control of the ball, despite having an expensive squad, remains an issue to address.