Wolves vs Chelsea
Chelsea would take on Bruno Lage’s Wolves on Sunday afternoon in a Premier League tie.
Thomas Tuchel’s men headed into the game without some key men due to injuries and Covid-19.
The Blues, though, still had a strong enough side to see off most teams in the Premier League.
However, the first 45 was one to forget for Chelsea. The Londoners created very little, allowing Wolves to dominate the tie and generate a number of chances.
Daniel Podence even had the ball in the back of Edouard Mendy’s net, before seeing his strike ruled out for offside.
Wolves themselves also probably felt somewhat hard done by in the first half, with N’Golo Kante probably quite lucky to still be on the pitch after appearing to handle the ball to block a pass which would have seen Podence through on goal.
Chelsea were then forced into a change during the break when Trevoh Chalobah was taken off with an issue at half-time for Saul Niguez.
Saul praised
The Blues, however, were finally able to gain a foothold in the tie during the second 45. The Londoners’ pressing was much more cohesive, whilst their on and off the ball movement improved a fair bit.
And this, in part, was down to the performance of the aforementioned Saul. The Spaniard has had a very disappointing stint at Chelsea so far, and has come in for heavy criticism from Chelsea fans.
However, vs Wolves, Saul looked a much more composed player, stringing passes together and making a number of key tackles.
In the end, though, Chelsea could not find the breakthrough and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils, moving further away from league leaders Manchester City, who beat Newcastle 4-0 on Sunday.
The overall display from Chelsea was not exactly perfect on the day, but fans on social media were still quick to single out Saul for his work, with some going as far as to suggest it was his best display at Chelsea to date.
This is Saul’s best game in a Chelsea shirt.
— W (@UncleWadee) December 19, 2021
Saul best game so far #WolChe
— Connor (@KingCon71) December 19, 2021
Saul having some Matic effects so far. Credit where credit is due. Best game he has played for us so far. Long may that continue.
— Dave⭐️⭐️Turkson? (@DaveTurkson) December 19, 2021
Saul finally showing what he can do
— Omar (@oCFC_) December 19, 2021
saul cooking
— CFC Ahmed (fb) (@CFCAHMED1) December 19, 2021
Saul playing like prime Ballack
— CHOSZN (@cfckepa) December 19, 2021
Saul been good since coming on.
— ✈️ (@Arrizabalager) December 19, 2021
Saul has been playing very well today. He’s on a mission to make this loan deal work and prove everyone wrong. His season has started.
— CfcSheikh (@CfcSheikh) December 19, 2021
can’t believe i’m saying this, Saúl has been our best player so far in this half. he looks much better today.
— ً (@mounthiveszn) December 19, 2021
Saul is having a good game.
I hate to admit— Bigman Nowell JKMN (@theeCNK) December 19, 2021