Noni Madueke’s penalty and Enzo Fernandez’s second half strike ensured Chelsea progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup to face Brighton with a victory over AFC Wimbledon.
Noni Madueke was perhaps they key reason behind Chelsea’s comeback against the Dons on Wednesday evening. The England under-21 international was able to spark life into the Stamford Bridge crowd before winning a penalty via some good footwork, and being the person to step up and level the scores in the opening half.
It was a confident display for the winger who had a difficult pre-season after picking up an issue early in the tour of the United States. Before starting against the Dons, Noni had only played 15 minutes against West Ham so far this season and he will have done his chances no harm.
When Saturday comes, he will likely be faced with a stiff challenge however. Raheem Sterling was absent from Chelsea’s squad on Wednesday evening and has probably been the west London side’s oustanding player so far this term. Given his best performances have come from the right, it remeans to be seen whether Madueke can challenge him for his position, or whether the former Man City star could feature elsewhere in the attack.
Madueke will soon have more competition in the form of Cole Palmer too. Chelsea have agreed a deal with Manchester City for the 21-year-old who netted in the Community Shield earlier this month.
The youngster is set to provide another option on the right for the Blues, but with Mauricio Pochettino hoping for a versatile forward, the club will hope he can also offer something across the forward positions in support of Nicolas Jackson.
Regardless, Madueke’s performance at Stamford Bridge will set him up in good stead to compete for a place in the side.
Pochettino made seven changes for the Carabao Cup clash and understandably a number of first team stars were rested. Bashir Humphreys, Marc Cucurella, Lesley Ugochukwu, Noni Madueke, Ian Maatsen, Diego Moreira, and Mason Burstow were all starting for the first time this season, with five of that number making their first competitive start for the club completely.
The Chelsea head coach would have undoubtedly preferred to not have to call upon the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez to help ensure his side’s progress, but the duo helped the Blues become a more potent proposition.
The senior members of Chelsea squad also attempted to make their presence felt from the bench. Ben Chilwell seemed to share his advice while warming up along the side of the pitch, while Thiago Silva couldn’t help but stand to his feet among the substitutes as the game neared it’s end.
He was lending his advice to Chelsea’s backline as they looked to solidify their 2-1 win, ensuring the Blues had a enough players back and shouting ‘Cucu, Cucu’ in the direction of Marc Cucurella before telling him where to stand in relation to the nearest Wimbledon player, even when the Blues were as high as the halfway line.
Chelsea may have been short of experience on the pitch, but the squad still has veteran quality to learn from over the course of this season.
Captain Conor
On the pitch, Gallagher was afforded the honour of wearing the captain’s armband. He was a leading presence on the pitch and looked to make something happen for the Blues on the ball against the League Two opposition.
He said: “It means the world. Really proud moment. I’ve got a very proud family at home. I’m glad it was a good win and performance. Being here from seven or eight years old, from when the academy started, living 10 minutes down the road – it’s a dream at the moment. I don’t wanna stop. I want to keep improving, keep helping the club. It was a great moment tonight and hopefully many more.”
Those comments don’t make Gallagher sound like a player on the verge of a departure after a summer of speculation over the Cohbam product’s future. Whether a club comes in remains to be seen, but Gallagher has enjoyed an impressive start to the season under Pochettino and may feel ready to continue competing for his place.
More uncertain is perhaps the future of Cucurella. The Spaniard perhaps would not have been expected to feature were a move to to Manchester United close.
Pochettino was coy over the prospect of the full back departing, suggesting he his committed to his squad, and any alteration now is between player and club. Cucurella’s departure would perhaps take the pressure of the size of Pochettino’s squad, and make Ian Maatsen’s future more secure, though he has not featured at left back for most of the summer.
Where were the youngsters?
Heading into the game against the Dons, Pochettino noted that four or five players from the academy as young as 16 or 17 would feature on the bench. When the teamsheet arrived that proved not to be the case with only Ishe Samuels-Smith making the cut on the evening.
The likes of Harrison Murray-Campbell, Travis Akomeah and Michael Golding still did go through the process of the day with the rest of the tea, and even wandered across the pitch upon their arrival at Stamford Bridge. A positive moment, but perhaps not the same as was expected.
Perhaps Pochettino was vindicated in his decision given the likes of Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, and Enzo Fernandez were required to inspire Chelsea’s win.
However, it’s understandable many would question the point of having two goalkeepers on the bench, even with Djordje Petrovic under consideration for the first time. Perhaps another opportunity could have been afforded.
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