Chelsea’s end game remains unclear despite victory over Sheff Utd

Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United (Palmer 54’, Jackson 61’)

STAMFORD BRIDGE – Not for no reason was this deemed the perfect afternoon for late Christmas shopping. Victory over Sheffield United notwithstanding, with every endurance test like this one it can be increasingly difficult to see Chelsea’s end game.

The Blues returned to winning ways and on the back of consecutive defeats, there will be an argument that that is all that matters. The lack of quality on show was at time frightening. That is not the Mauricio Pochettino’s fault, and he will be relieved that two second-half goals have spared him the need for another dissection of Todd Boehly’s project like the one delivered at Everton.

Pochettino can at least reflect on how his changes influenced proceedings, Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson moved into a front two at half time and Cole Palmer shifted further to the right.

The deadlock was pierced finally by the pace of Sterling, and while Gareth Southgate needs to see more than moments, herein lay the latest audition: a burst into the box, avoiding a VAR offside check by a whisker, and an inch-perfect pass to tee up Palmer.

It was the moment that Palmer, and Chelsea as a whole, came alive. Even as Wes Foderingham dithered recumbent, it took the hunger of Palmer to keep the ball in play, delivering it gift-wrapped to Jackson to place into an empty net.

For an entire half, Conor Gallagher looked to be the only creator. Fortunately for the hosts, failing to score against Sheffield United takes some doing – they have one clean sheet all season. And for half an hour, the Blades were compact enough that while they seized just 20 per cent of the possession, they had just one shot fewer than Chelsea.

What the Blues required was ample space – Gallagher sees it as more of a luxury, at his fiercest while picking the ball straight off the toes of Ollie McBurnie as a quartet of red and white shirts broke away.

Gallagher’s captaincy is purported to have caused some consternation, with Thiago Silva the more obvious candidate. He is justifying it with his performances, if not his experience.

Sheffield United, by contrast, do not lack leaders, only suitability for this level. Chris Wilder said that this was “the other side” of having such a “young inexperienced team” who are “learning on the job”. Chasing back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the bounce fuelled by Wilder’s return will not be easy to sustain.

An away end dotted with Santa hats, are welcoming back their local hero with open arms, albeit watching their side plumb the depths. They nevertheless seemed to be having the more fun.

For all Chelsea picked up in the second half, the most memorable moments are still those when the Blues lack cohesion. Enzo Fernandez’s miss from yards out, when Palmer had laid it on so finely to put him out of his own personal misery, was a howler. Not enough has been made of the impact of Antonio Rudiger’s departure, but Benoit Badiashile runs are capable of filling that void, except when they bounce off the heels of Mykhailo Mudryk.

Mudryk’s speed did cause problems, and it was a stable enough debut from goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who had little to do aside from parrying away a free-kick from Gustavo Hamer.

These are not exactly marginal gains – more minimum requirements. Next Chelsea face Newcastle in an EFL Cup that Pochettino has never esteemed, but which at least has the potential to lift a little of the drudgery. Christopher Nkunku’s debut is still anticipated, appearing on the bench but not getting on. The green shoots are back, but a miserable 2023 is edging towards the finish line with few questions answered definitively.