Middlesbrough 1-0 Chelsea
After the first legs of the League Cup semis, an all-west London final at Wembley is still within Fulham and Chelsea’s grasp.
Fulham’s narrow 2-1 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool on Wednesday night, and Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win over Chelsea the night before, mean both return legs are winnable for the SW6 clubs.
There’s still the possibility of Fulham and Chelsea meeting in the later stages of the FA Cup as well, with both teams advancing to the 4th Round.
All of which adds extra spice to Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League derby at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues still struggling for consistent form.
Last weekend’s 4-0 victory over Preston North End in the FA Cup was a morale boost, but Chelsea are frittering away far more chances than they are taking in front of goal, even with manager Mauricio Pochettino ringing the changes and trying to use Cole Porter up front in the absence of Nico Jackson, who is away on African Cup of Nations duty.
Chelsea fans joke that the recent storm winds actually blew one of his shots on target!
Saturday’s league clash is another opportunity for Willian to make Chelsea wish they’d held on to him, rather than allowing him to leave and prove that in his mid 30s he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Pochettino is blooding more youngsters, with opportunities being presented to the likes of Alfie Gilchrist (who made his full debut against Preston), and Michael Golding, a 17-year-old Kingston-born striker given his first senior outing as a sub for the final 10 minutes of that match.
Chelsea’s new American owners seem to be taking the long view over the club’s progress, which is reassuring to both manager and fans.
Sam Kerr injury
Less positive is the news for Chelsea Women, where striker Sam Kerr has been ruled out for at least six months after suffering ligament damage during the warm-weather training camp in Morocco.
She has therefore played her last game under Emma Hayes, who leaves her management post at the end of the season.
It’s a bitter blow as the Blues take on West Ham at Kingsmeadow on Sunday in the FA Cup, and dents the women’s chance of European silverware when the Champions League resumes with Real Madrid’s visit on 24 January.
Chelsea Women have announced the signing of Swedish defender Nathalie Bjorn from Everton on a three-and-a-half-year deal, but Hayes’ real focus is on boosting options in attack in Kerr’s absence.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
