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Winger Mykhaylo Mudryk finally scored his first goal for Chelsea after nearly a year of playing. This goal not only relieved pressure on himself but also helped the Blues a lot.
The results of Mudryk's efforts
The Ukrainian player joined Chelsea in January 2023 for 89 million pounds (including fees). However, the first season ended in disappointment when Mudryk failed to score a single goal. By the beginning of the 2023/24 season, he continued to be ungainly in the opponent's net and many people considered this "one of the worst matches in Chelsea's history".
Still, Mudryk never stopped trying. The 22-year-old star is working with personal trainer Dima Chapovsky to continue improving his speed and agility. And according to sources from Metro, Mudryk still spends an extra hour in the gym every day to impress head coach Pochettino.
Finally, his efforts were recognized when this player started all 4 recent matches for Chelsea. It cannot be denied that the Blues have too many injuries, so Mudryk is able to play a lot. But his efforts are beyond doubt.
Mudryk finished delicately to score his first goal in a Chelsea shirt
In the match against Fulham this morning, Chelsea got their second victory and also their first away victory in the Premier League since the beginning of the 2023/24 season. The Blues' scorers were Mudryk and Armando Broja. In particular, Mudryk was the one to open the score with a neat control of the ball and a delicate finish. After 24 appearances for the London team, Mudryk finally got his name on the scoresheet.
After scoring, the Ukrainian star celebrated by sliding on the grass. But not only the player born in 2001 felt excited, but his teammates were equally happy. Accordingly, the camera recorded the moment Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo celebrated as passionately as Mudryk when his teammate slid on the grass. The duo jumped up and hugged each other.
In addition to the goal, Mudryk also had an impressive performance as he made Fulham's right-back Timothy Castagne extremely difficult throughout the first 45 minutes. Mudryk's speed and dribbling ability put Fulham's defense on alert. Most importantly, Mudryk has shown composure and astuteness in the final third - something he has lacked throughout his time at Chelsea so far.
Many positive signs for Chelsea
In this match, striker Armando Broja also made his mark with the winning goal for Chelsea. Nicolas Jackson's absence due to suspension opens up an opportunity for Broja to start his first match since November last year. The Albanian returned to action last month after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in a mid-season friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi.
Chelsea players had a good match with many stars showing high performance
Broja has played just 14 minutes this season before the trip to Craven Cottage. He was used by coach Mauricio Pochettino in the starting lineup and made a strong impression. In the second minute, Broja had an impressive pass to eliminate both the defender and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno, but unfortunately his shot went wide.
However, it did not take Broja long to write his name on the scoreboard. Less than 2 minutes after Mudryk put the Blues ahead, the Albanian striker doubled the gap. He rushed into the penalty area and quickly touched the ball from defender Tim Ream's rebound to beat Leno and put the ball into the net. Although this was a somewhat lucky situation, it also showed Broja's determination and scoring acumen, something Jackson has yet to show.
Another bright spot for Chelsea in the win over Fulham was the perfect balance in the midfield. After many experiments with the midfield trio since the beginning of the season, it now seems that coach Pochettino has found the perfect balance in his midfield. Moises Caicedo, the rookie with a record price of 115 million pounds bought from Brighton in August, has been placed in the defensive midfielder position in front of the defenders.
Meanwhile, Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez were used as two forward No. 8s. Both are encouraged to press right in the opponent's half and actively participate in the attack. Gallagher mainly operates on the right wing of the three-man midfield, while Fernandez occupies the opposite wing.
Caicedo, Gallagher and Fernandez seem to complement each other perfectly. They helped Chelsea completely control the midfield by coordinating smoothly in attack situations and also actively retreating to defend, helping Chelsea win the ball back as quickly as possible. They kept star Joao Palhinha on the Fulham side completely "switched off".
With the above positive signs, Chelsea fans can absolutely hope that the team will improve more and more in the near future.
