Jude Bellingham was full of praise for speed demon Karim Adeyemi’s goal that dented Chelsea’s chances of progression to the next round. The Blues find themselves a goal down in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 match where Adeyemi’s goal just after an hour mark was the difference.
And it came about from a Chelsea corner that was cleared before the a perfect counter-attack ended things. Adeyemi, from the edge of his own box, raced through on goal and left Enzo Fernandez in his wake before rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga to score. It proved the difference while Bellingham was blown away by the pace shown.
“We are really confident when he gets the ball one on one,” the 19-year-old said. “Not many players can stop him. He had a tough time coming here at the start – finding his feet – and now he’s flying.”
However, while Adeyemi’s brilliance cannot be understated, not everyone was happy with the defending, including BT Sport pundit Cole who pointed the finger at Mudryk. The Ukraine international was next to the Dortmund star when the ball was cleared from the corner but was nowhere to be seen by the time it was in the net.
“There needs to be a bit of blame on Mudryk,” Cole said. “When you are an attacking player, you are thinking to yourself ‘right, I can score a goal here if the ball drops [on the edge of the area]’. “As soon as you realise that the ball [has been cleared], right, switch on defensively. He just lets [Adeyemi] run off him. “I feel like quick players can lose concentration because they feel that their pace can get them away with it.”
Chelsea had some golden chances throughout the contest including from Joao Felix, Kai Havertz, Reece James and Kalidou Koulibaly but ultimately, they could not find the net yet again. It is now just two wins in 14 games for the Blues, who host Dortmund in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on March 7.
Chelsea’s top scorers this season are Raheem Sterling and Havertz, both with six in all competitions while the club’s only recognised striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, is not even in the Champions League squad. The last time Potter’s side scored more than once in a match was November 2 when they beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in a group stage match.
As for Adeyemi, the 21-year-old was signed as a potential Erling Haaland replacement and his latest strike means it is three goals in three for the youngster. That is as many as his last 20 appearances for Dortmund and the former RB Salzburg star reckons that 2023 is his year. He said after his goal:
“The only thing I was thinking [against Enzo Fernandez] was that I just need to get the ball past him. “You just try to win your duels, the goalkeeper came out and there may have been a bit of luck, but I’m delighted with the goal.
“It’s a case of new year, new luck. For me, it’s that simple. As a team, we talked a lot during the break and it brought us closer together. “The win tonight was crucial and it was unbelievable to play in front of these fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment