Chelsea star with 118 touches was as unplayable as Madueke & Jackson
Chelsea star with 118 touches was as unplayable as Madueke & Jackson
Chelsea took another step on the road to securing European football next season with an emphatic 5-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday in the Premier League.
The Blues were rampant winners at Stamford Bridge on the weekend as they swept the Hammers aside with ease, scoring three goals in the first half and two in the second.
Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, who scored a terrific volley, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson, who scored twice, were the scorers for Mauricio Pochettino.
Whilst Madueke and Jackson, in particular, caught the eye with their attacking contributions, Moises Caicedo was also unplayable against West Ham.
Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson’s contributions against West Ham
The forward duo were directly involved in four of the five Chelsea goals, starting with the striker’s assist for Palmer’s opening goal in the first half.
Madueke, who had a deflected touch land to Gallagher for the second and did not officially get awarded the assist, then scored a close range header for the third.
The pair linked up for the fourth Chelsea goal as Madueke raced clear through on goal and opted to unselfishly roll a pass across to Jackson to tap into an empty net.
As you can see in the table above, they were both fantastic in the final third throughout the game as they overperformed their xG and created ten chances for their teammates between them.
The last goal of the match was then scored by Jackson with a composed finish into the bottom corner, after Caicedo had set him away with a well-timed pass.
Moises Caicedo’s unplayable performance
The Ecuador international quietly went about his business in the middle of the park whilst his more flashy teammates put on a show in the final third.
That does not, however, mean that Caicedo was not sensational in his own right, though, as the midfielder was unstoppable throughout the game, showcasing his quality in and out of possession.
His defensive and offensive work was encapsulated in the assist for the fifth goal. The former Brighton star pressed his opponent quickly, made a perfect challenge, and baited two defenders with a feint before playing a perfectly weighted ball for Jackson to then score.
Across the 90 minutes, he had a whopping 118 touches of the ball – more than any other player on the pitch – and that speaks to the control the Blues star had over the game, with his constant desire to get on the ball and dictate the flow of play.
Caicedo, who completed 100% (4/4) of his attempted dribbles, enjoyed a pass accuracy of 92% (94/102) as he rarely gave possession away to the Hammers.
The Chelsea maestro also won three tackles and made one block, as part of his seven duels won, to cut out the threat from the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.
He was, therefore, unplayable for the Blues in the middle of the park due to his fantastic play in and out of possession to help his team dominate the game, which allowed the likes of Madueke and Jackson to thrive in the final third.