Quick Reads
Planet Football
3rd October 2020
While Chelsea’s defending has come under heavy criticism, the performance of Ben Chilwell against Crystal Palace suggests improvement may be just around the corner.
Having joined the club in the summer from Leicester City for a reported £45million fee, Chilwell was sidelined from Chelsea’s first three Premier League matches through injury.
The England international finally made his league debut against Roy Hodgson’s side and it was definitely worth the wait.
Here, we’ve rounded up five impressive stats that demonstrate how the 23-year-old made a dream league debut for the club:
– Chilwell became the first Chelsea player to score on their Premier League debut for the club since Jorginho netted against Huddersfield Town in August 2018.
– The left-back made 78 passes during the game, with an impressive accuracy rate of 82%.
– Brought in to add extra attacking threat from the full-back position, Chilwell made 11 crosses throughout the 90 minutes, including one that directly led to Chelsea’s second goal.
READ: What does Ben Chilwell bring to Chelsea? Strengths and weaknesses
– He is just the third Chelsea player to provide a goal and an assist on their Premier League debut after Deco and Alvaro Morata.
– The England international also demonstrated his defensive capabilities, making three interceptions and winning 100% of his aerial duels during the game.
– After conceding six goals in their first three Premier League games, Chelsea kept their first clean sheet of the season on Chilwell’s league debut.
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