Chelsea failed to win yet again in the Premier League, this time drawing 1-1 against West Ham United and despite Graham Potter signing eight players in the January transfer window, he simply cannot buy a victory recently.
The Blues opened the scoring with Joao Felix netting his first goal for the club, but a disallowed goal by Kai Havertz would soon prove costly as Emerson Palmieri equalised, and neither team could find the winner.
Having served a suspension after being sent off on his Chelsea debut, Felix was outstanding today, showing the Stamford Bridge faithful exactly what he can do when he is unleashed, and the Portuguese forward certainly didn’t disappoint.
His Sofascore rating of 7.7/10 was the joint-highest on the pitch, while he also showcased his attacking ability by making two key passes, taking three shots and succeeding with 50% of his dribble attempts.
His connection with Enzo Fernandez could be something that Potter utilises in the future, with those two players the most positive aspect of the disappointing result. Indeed, Fernandez is already showing echoes of the player who excelled at the World Cup, with this latest display yet another performance which will have pleased his manager.
How did Fernandez play against West Ham?
For the second Premier League match in a row, the Argentine received a Sofascore rating north of 7.5/10, earning 7.7 today, and it was richly deserved considering how well he performed at the London Stadium.
He played the full 90 minutes and managed a staggering 109 touches during the game, showing that he was always ready to make things happen and that he isn’t daunted by living up to the hype of his British record £107m transfer fee.
The 22-year-old completed 89% of his passes and succeeded with seven of his nine long balls, creating one big chance and making one key pass while also taking two shots. He demonstrated his all-round ability to great effect, creating plenty of chances for others while being partial to the odd shot or two in order to try and land his first Chelsea goal.
The World Cup winner was also impressive defensively. Although he won just 40% of his duels, he made three tackles, two interceptions and one block, and there is plenty of time to improve his physicality during his stint in the Premier League.
Argentine football Twitter account GOLAZO praised the youngster for his display, declaring that “around the box he’s a difference maker”, and that’s exactly why Chelsea signed him.
Despite the draw, encouraging performances from both Felix and Fernandez will give Potter something to consider about how he can incorporate them into his team going forward. The more that they play together, the better they will surely get and hopefully begin to secure some much-needed victories for the Blues.
