Sheffield United 3-0 Chelsea: The one that saw the Blues put to the Blade(s)

This did not feel good

What a shocking performance from start to finish. It would be easy enough to point fingers but ultimately this was a collective venture in failure.


It's easy enough to say after the fact that the lineup wasn't right. However, as much as Chelsea fans hope for Tammy Abraham's success - Saturday was not the game for him. Norwich is coming up mid-week and it would be a perfect match to find his confidence once again.

When facing one of the most difficult defence's in the league to breakdown the only option for Chelsea is Olivier Giroud. He keeps defenders occupied, can bring teammates into attack and his experience and size see him often help out in defence -- something he's not praised enough for. And let's be honest, Chelsea's defence could use all the help they could get at the moment.

There's a sense the mentality wasn't right. With their newly promoted status, teams are still under-estimating Sheffield United's steel. It isn't a fluke that they're direct competition for a Champions League place. This season, Chelsea have elevated their game for the top teams like Man City and drop off for West Ham and Bournemouth.

My personal feeling is the combination of the number of games being played at the moment and the underlying feeling about Saturday's opponents undone all the good work to secure a Champions League place.

The second the pundits announced David McGoldrick had yet to score a Premier League goal, I nearly lumped on him as an anytime scorer. Chelsea have always had a special talent for allowing maligned forwards or anyone looking for a goal to score. Look no further than Christian Benteke the other week.

Free header

The Irish international was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring from close range. Kepa made a great save just seconds before to palm away Oli McBurnie's deflected shot. But it wasn't cleared. McGoldrick pounced on the ball and scored his first Premier League goal ever. Just the 42 shots and 1615 minutes to get there.

The Blades doubled their lead as Oli McBurnie planted a header in the back of the net. While Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma watched on. He literally just had a free shot in between the too centre backs. Unmarked in the box, of course.

For those hoping for a Leicester-like half time team-talk and turnaround, you'll be left sadly disappointed. While Frank Lampard rang in some changes it was too little, too late. The change of shape at the back helped with organisation. And the introduction of Giroud certainly helped - he came closest to scoring with his first touch.

But ultimately, Chelsea were on the back-foot and played like it. With less than 15 minutes to go, Sheffield United delivered the final blow. Because it's contractually obligated for Chelsea to either score or concede three goals in a match with their new sponsor, they didn't clear a loose ball and allowed McGoldrick to net his second in the Premier League and fulfill their quota.

After sitting comfortably in fourth place from October, it would be heartbreaking to lose Champions League football for next season at this late stage. But with performances like this creeping in, it would be a fate of Chelsea's own creation.

Norwich may be next up in the league, but Liverpool and Wolves lie in wait. Tense finish to a strange season

jb xx


RESULT: Sheffield 3-0 Chelsea

GOALS: McGoldrick 18, McBurnie 33, McGoldrick 77

CHELSEA XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Christensen (Rudiger 46), James (Hudson-Odoi 75), Mount (Alonso 46), Jorginho, Barkley (Loftus-Cheek 78), Pulisic (Giroud 66), Willian, Abraham

STAR MAN: David McGoldrick