England World Cup 2022 winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez had to wait until his 31st Premier League game to score, as Chelsea beat Brighton 3-2 last weekend.
Fernandez made a splash when he was voted the best young player of the 2022 World Cup in Argentina's championship journey. Therefore, in the January 2023 transfer window, Chelsea had to pay a total fee of 135.5 million USD, making him the most expensive contract of all time in English football.
But before yesterday's match against Brighton, Fernandez had not scored a single goal in the Premier League. In the previous 30 matches, the Chelsea midfielder had a total of 42 shots. This is a sad record, 22 more than the next closest player in this statistic. Fernandez's first goal in a Chelsea shirt came on August 30, in a 2-1 win over Second Division Wimbledon in the second round of the League Cup.
Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring the third goal for Chelsea in their 3-2 win over Brighton in the 14th round of the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on December 3. Photo: AFP
Yesterday, the Argentine midfielder also quenched his thirst for goals. In the 17th minute, from a cross by defender Benoit Badiashile, Fernandez headed in from close range to open the scoring. He completed his double in the 65th minute with a successful penalty kick. Chelsea's remaining goal in this match was scored by 20-year-old defender Levi Colwill, who grew up in the club's training center.
After the match, manager Mauricio Pochettino expressed his satisfaction when Fernandez scored his first Premier League goal, while Colwill opened his account for the Chelsea first team. "We always talk about confidence, the important thing is that they are building that confidence," he said. "Players always need six months or a season to start showing their real quality. I am very happy, when many players can score goals for the team."
Goals from Fernandez and Colwill gave Chelsea a vital win after being down by a man late in the first half. Connor Gallagher tackled Billy Gilmour from behind in midfield and was sent off for a second yellow card.
Pochettino believes Gallagher did not deserve to be sent off, but sees playing with one less man as a way for the team to mature, with many of Chelsea's young players. "We need to challenge ourselves in these games to understand how to play as a team. I'm happy with that, and of course we will improve because we have very talented players," said the Argentine.
The 3-2 victory brought Chelsea to 10th place in the Premier League with 19 points. In round 15 on December 7, Pochettino and his team will travel to Old Trafford to play against Man Utd - the team currently ranked seventh with 24 points.
Hong Duy
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