Reporter Choi Song-ah = English professional football Chelsea managed to draw two consecutive games without a goal, even with new faces including midfielder Enso Fernandez, who was recruited for the highest transfer fee ever in the Premier League (EPL).
Chelsea drew 0-0 with Fulham in the 2022-2023 EPL Round 222 home game held at Stamford Bridge in London, England on the 4th (Korean time).
Chelsea, who added 1 point without scoring after the 21st round away match against Liverpool on the 21st of last month, accumulated 8 wins, 6 draws, 7 losses, and 30 points, ranking 9th in the EPL.
Chelsea, which hovers in the mid-table this season, have made efforts to reinforce their power to leap forward by recruiting eight players in the recently closed winter transfer market.
According to local media, Chelsea proved to be a ‘big hand’ in the transfer market by spending £323.3 million (approximately KRW 490 billion) on the recruitment of eight players. It is said to have cost 11 million euros.
Fernandez, who helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and won the ‘Young Player Award’, changed into a Chelsea uniform in Benfica, Portugal, and made his debut as a starter that day.
Likewise, Ukrainian winger Mihailo Mudrik, who joined Chelsea in this transfer window, made his first start today following his substitute appearance in the last round, and defender Benoit Badiacil, who moved from AS Monaco in France, was dropped as a starter for three consecutive matches.
Even in the replacement list, striker Noni Madueke, who was recruited from Eindhoven in the Netherlands, was named and stepped on the ground, actively using transfer students, but Chelsea could not break the balance of 0 in the end. 안전놀이터
In the 45th minute of the first half, Hakim Ziyech’s long ball from the center circle was accurately delivered to Kai Havertz, who dug into the left side of the penalty area, and had a golden opportunity to score, but Havertz’s left-footed roving shot hit the post.
On this day, Chelsea recorded 66.7% of the ball possession and hit 12 shots, 2 more than Fulham, but had 3 effective shots, one less than Fulham.
After the Qatar World Cup break, Fulham, who had 4 consecutive wins in the league and recently slowed down with 2 losses in a row, won points in 3 games and rose to 6th place (32 points, 9 wins, 5 draws, 8 losses).
Whoscored.com, which specializes in football statistics, gave Fernandez the highest rating of 7.4 among Chelsea players, along with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, after the match.
The highest rating for both teams was 7.7, given to Fulham defender Tim Lim and winger Willian.