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Under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea won the prestigious UEFA Champions League last season, beating Premier League champions Manchester City 1-0 in the final. This year, the Blues are not only trying to retain their European crown but are also looking to add another Premier League trophy to their already illustrious cabinet.
While Manchester City tumbled at Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea got off to the perfect start in the Premier League, winning 3-0 at home against Crystal Palace. Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic struck in the first half to give the hosts a healthy lead at half-time. Defender Trevoh Chalobah then added another just before the hour mark to cap off a fantastic outing.
Today, we will take a look at some Chelsea players who stood out in the opening match of the 2021/22 Premier League season. On that note, here are the
5 best performers for Chelsea in their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League GW 1
#5 Jorginho
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho enjoyed an exceptional campaign last summer. He won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and played a pivotal role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph. The double European medal has made Jorginho a genuine contender for the Ballon d’Or and the aspirant is not slacking off at the start of a new campaign.
Jorginho played as a central midfielder once again and pulled the strings from the middle of the park. His distribution — both horizontal and vertical — was impressive as usual and allowed Chelsea to keep Crystal Palace under pressure. The midfield maestro completed 82 passes with 93% accuracy and won 6 midfield duels.
#4 Christian Pulisic
United States international Christian Pulisic is one of Chelsea’s strongest attacking talents. On Saturday, he made sure he did his reputation no harm.
He was not exactly at his fiery best in the final third of the pitch; the Crystal Palace defenders made sure of that. However, the goal he scored was nothing short of a perfect centre forward’s hit.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount played a couple of one-twos on the right flank before the latter drilled in a low cross. Palace keeper Vincente Guaita dived to put the ball out of harm's way but could only push it towards Pulisic. The American cheekily used his left foot to bury the chance. Chelsea got themselves a two-goal cushion and Pulisic kicked off the 2021-22 Premier League season in the best possible manner.
#3 Trevoh Chalobah
Premier League giants Chelsea are widely lauded for the attackers and midfielders they have at their disposal, not particularly for the men who guard the goal. If you pay heed to the hype, you might even completely forget about Chelsea’s exceptional defenders — players who have been pivotal in Chelsea’s recent UEFA Champions League exploits.
Trevoh Chalobah, who rose through Chelsea’s youth system, is yet to establish himself as an outright starter for the Blues. However, if his performance in the first Premier League game of the season is anything to go by, he could very easily cement a spot in the team over the course of the season.
Not only did Chalobah score an exceptional goal — his first for Chelsea — in the 58th minute, but he also did not put a step wrong throughout the game. He neutralized the Crystal Palace attackers and was exceptionally clinical in the final third of the pitch. After the performance against Palace, we would be surprised not to see him in the team against Arsenal in gameweek 2 of the Premier League next weekend.
#2 Mateo Kovacic
Former Real Madrid man Mateo Kovacic has settled in nicely at Stamford Bridge. He is now one of the first names on the team sheet for the Blues and has nurtured the ability to dictate play in the middle of the pitch.
Mateo Kovacic lined up alongside Marcos Alonso and Jorginho in midfield on Saturday. He was easily the most explosive component of Chelsea's midfield and was regularly venturing up the pitch. He completed 76 passes with an accuracy of 97% and created the most chances in the match (3).
He was the architect behind Chalobah’s goal in the 58th minute and created a couple more golden opportunities for his team, which they failed to convert.
#1 Marcos Alonso
Since joining from Fiorentina in 2016, Marcos Alonso has had to adapt to many coaches and systems. He has excelled as a full-back and centre-back, and is currently being deployed in an advanced wing-back role under Thomas Tuchel. Unsurprisingly, he is proving to be quite a handful in this position as well.
In the first Premier League game of the season, Alonso was seen running up and down the left-hand channel, providing an extra outlet in the final third. Not only did he combine well with the midfield and attack, but he was also quite trigger happy, keeping two of his three shots on target.
His first Premier League goal of the campaign came from a set-piece on the right hand side of the pitch. Alonso stood over the dead ball just outside the box and dispatched an unsavable curler with his left foot. The dip and swerve was too much for the Crystal Palace keeper to handle as he remained rooted to the spot and watched the ball hit the back of the net. Nothing like a good old freekick to dampen the opposition’s spirit.
