Good days have been few and far between at Chelsea for Mauricio Pochettino, but this was one of the better ones. Not perfect, not especially pretty, but better.
And by better, we mean functional. By better, we mean they got a job done, which in a season of stumbles is the sort of progress that should not be sniffed at.
A turning point? Let’s not push it – this was Sheffield United at home. And this is Chelsea, a team that has made a habit of colliding with walls each time they threaten to jog.
But a win is a win and this one was only the second in six games for Pochettino, who once again could view Cole Palmer as his player of greatest influence.
With a goal and an assist for Nicolas Jackson, it was the 21-year-old who reshaped this match from an exercise in frustration to a source of confidence.
Some nice play from Raheem Sterling helped Cole Palmer open the scoring at Stamford Bridge
Nicolas Jackson turned the ball into an empty goal for his seventh goal of the season
Mauricio Pochettino will be relieved to get three points after recent Chelsea setbacks
‘I am happy because the players deserved the victory,’ said Pochettino, who can expect a more robust challenge in the League Cup quarter-final against Newcastle on Tuesday.
‘They worked really well during the week. They reacted. It helps us to be more confident but at the same time we need to be alive. We need to change if we want to improve.
‘I am happy because three points for us are really important and then on Tuesday we have a very important game against Newcastle.
‘With this victory we have a completely different feeling. It is really important with our confidence.’
For 45 minutes this match had been a real trudge – Chelsea had held masses of possession, but the problem was they had no idea what to with it.
Within those difficulties was the question of why Pochettino had dropped Enzo Fernandez, who almost a year ago to the day had won the World Cup with Argentina.
Facing a low block, he would have been useful here, but instead he was one of five changes to the team beaten by Everton with little obvious upside.
If there was a positive to Chelsea’s play, it was that Conor Gallagher, forever linked with moves away, was pressing well and providing some sparkle in the middle. It would surely be daft to lose him.
As for United, they were limited, though had sporadic moments of promise when pinpointing Chelsea’s left-hand side.
Palmer powers home Chelsea’s opener early in the second-half to continue his positive form
Palmer has proved a shrewd signing for Pochettino’s side since arriving from Manchester City
If anything, those attacks may have provided their downfall, as emboldened the opened up after the break. ‘We were naïve,’ Wilder said, and that was about right.
To Pochettino’s credit, there were also some subtle tweaks on his part, with the positioning of Raheem Sterling and Palmer altered for a more concerted attack up the middle.
Both men were key to the first goal, with Palmer playing to Sterling, who sucked in Andre Brooks before then beating him in a five-yard sprint from a standing start.
Having brought the space, Sterling pulled back to Palmer for the finish to a quality move.
Jackson finishes from close range to double Chelsea’s lead just after the hour mark
Once they’d established a two-goal lead there was no prospect of Chelsea throwing it away
A second quickly followed and it was more valuable than beautiful. Sterling showed bravery in sticking his head on a bouncing ball and bundling through a crowd and from those scruffy beginnings Palmer was able to square to Jackson for a tap in. It was his first goal in five games.
Palmer almost created an identical assist for a third but Armando Broja managed to mishit at an open goal from three yards.
‘We had a mad 15 minutes for us at the start of the second half which can happen with a young team,’ Wilder said. ‘They have players all over the pitch that can hurt you but I could sense there was something for us.’
