Director Graham Potter swallowed regret at the departure of Joao Felix.
Chelsea lost 1-2 to Fulham in the 7th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-23 season held at Craven Cottage in London, England at 5 am (Korean time) on the 13th. This puts Chelsea in 10th place in the league with 25 points. Fulham, who gained three points, moved up to 6th place in the league with 31 points.
Chelsea started with a 3-5-2 formation. Felix and Kai Havertz formed a two-top lineup, with Louis Hall, Mateo Kovacic, Denis Zaccaria, Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta in midfield. The back three was formed by Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva and Trevo Chalova, while the goalkeeper gloves were worn by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea took the lead early in the game. The spark of Felix, who had just joined, played a part in bringing about the atmosphere. Felix, who moved to Chelsea on the 11th, made a surprise appearance on the starting list just two days later. Most likely due to his lack of training time, Felix broke through Fulham’s defence with his individual prowess.
On this day, Felix, who formed a two-top team with Havertz, led Chelsea’s attack by going back and forth between the right and center. To stop Felix, the Fulham defense risked a warning and committed a foul. Felix even gave his opponent two warnings in the first half alone. 스포츠토토
In particular, judgment was outstanding. Felix gave the impression that he was reading the game. His ability to stab a pass with quick judgment or find an empty space and penetrate was impressive. He energized Chelsea’s attack, which had recently been frustrating.
Felix, who performed the best in the first half, became the main reason for the team’s defeat with the worst performance in the second half. Felix received a direct send-off in the 12th minute of the second half for a tackle that Stud showed during the contest. Chelsea will fight with 10 people for the rest of the time. In the end, Chelsea could not overcome their numerical inferiority and lost 1-2, falling into a quagmire without a win in four consecutive games.
Director Porter also swallowed regret. In an interview with Britain’s ‘BT Sport’ after the game, manager Porter said, “I think we controlled the game early on. We made a few mistakes to score. We responded well in the second half, but the red card changed the game.” .
Felix, who was sent off that day, was suspended for three matches. “I didn’t mean it, but I understand why it was a red card. We’re doubly disappointed because we saw his performance in the game,” Porter said.