Chelsea progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday after coming from behind to beat League Two side AFC Wimbledon…
Here’s five things we learned from the cup tie…
Pochettino sticks to his cup competition methods
While at Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino had a certain way of approaching cup competitions. His team selection would often include second choice and younger players, leading to results such as draws at Newport and Rochdale in the FA Cup and that famous defeat to Colchester in the third round of the Carabao Cup in 2019.
Tottenham fans were often frustrated at the choices Pochettino would make, and Chelsea fans had a similar reaction when the team news was released on Wednesday – highlighting the lack of strength, particularly on the bench. This frustration was proved to be well placed when in the 19th minute, the League Two side took the lead through a James Tilley penalty after Robert Sanchez committed a ridiculous foul. It was far from convincing from Chelsea but they got the job done in the end.
Sanchez’s troubles in goal continue
Embed from Getty ImagesThere were many raised eyebrows when Chelsea bought Robert Sanchez for £25 million from Brighton this summer. Not only did they sell two decent goalkeepers in Èdouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga but when searching for a new keeper, Sanchez did not appear to be an obvious option. This is mainly because of the mistakes that undermined his time at Brighton, most notably his howler against Crystal Palace last season, eventually causing him to be dropped for Jason Steele.
Things had been smooth sailing for Sanchez at Chelsea but in the 19th minute, he failed to collect a free kick that was swung into the box, instead missing the ball and colliding with the head of a Wimbledon’s Harry Pell. Referee Tony Harrington pointed to the penalty spot instantly and Tilley converted, leaving Chelsea trailing.
Madueke shines
Noni Madueke was at Tottenham under his current boss Pochettino during his time at the club’s academy before moving to PSV in 2018 after failing to receive first-team opportunities. But against Wimbledon on Wednesday, the winger made a big step towards establishing himself as a starter after a difficult pre-season battling injury.
Despite his team falling behind early on, Madueke was the bright spark for Chelsea, often leaving the Wimbledon defenders chasing shadows with his pace, quick feet, and nimble runs. His quality led to the Chelsea equaliser late in the second half, picking the ball up on the far right, exploiting the space in front of him to break into the Dons’ box, before being brought down by defender Alex Pearce. It was then left to Madueke to covert the penalty, which he did, to score his first goal of the season for the Blues.
Football League shows its quality
The Football League has shown England what it’s made of in the latest round of Carabao Cup fixtures and Wimbledon were no different. Johnnie Jackson’s team showed discipline and fought behind the ball, staying compact despite the constant Chelsea pressure.
They were minutes away from going into half-time in front before Pearce brought down Madueke in the area. Following a first 45 minutes where Wimbledon rarely got out of their half, the second half was vastly different, with the team in white showing determination to get forward when required and posing an attacking threat that has seen them enjoy a positive start to their league campaign.
A good opportunity for Chelsea’s young stars
Embed from Getty ImagesOver the years, Chelsea have produced various talents that have broke the first team such as Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Trevor Chalabah. Those are just a few names of a list that is ever growing. On Wednesday night against Wimbledon, the list got longer with Ian Maatsen and Mason Burstow both getting the opportunity to start.
The starting eleven also included academy graduates Bashir Humphreys and Conor Gallagher, who captained his boyhood club for the first time. It was a proud moment for the 23-year-old who controlled the tempo in the midfield for the majority of the game, showing the quality that has led him to three Premier League starts under Pochettino this season. The youngsters were eventually able to get the job done, with the help of some of the pros.
