"Playing his way into Ballers League", "Plays football like he's buffering" - Chelsea fans slam star despite 1-0 win over Spurs
A section of Chelsea fans online criticized Jadon Sancho for his performance during the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday (April 3). The midfielder failed to impress as the Blues secured a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Going into the game, Enzo Maresca’s men knew they had to win to reclaim their fourth position on the league table. With this in mind, they started strongly and almost broke the deadlock in the opening minute. Trevoh Chalobah’s long raking pass found Nicolas Jackson, who ran into Guglielmo Vicario before Micky van de Ven's clearance ricocheted off him and struck the woodwork.
While the hosts continued to dictate proceedings, they lacked cutting edge in the final third, which ensured both teams ended the first half on level terms (0-0). Chelsea came into the second half with more determination, and their efforts paid dividends five minutes after the restart.
Enzo Fernandez gave his side the lead, powering home a header from Cole Palmer’s cross. Moises Caicedo thought he had doubled the lead in the 56th minute, only for his stunning volley to be ruled out for an offside on Levi Colwill after a lengthy VAR review.
In the 69th minute, Spurs thought they had leveled the contest when Pape Matar Sarr’s long-range strike proved too hot for Robert Sanchez to handle. But VAR took the center stage once again, chalking off the goal and penalizing Sarr for a foul on Caicedo in the buildup.
The hosts endured a nervous ending as Ange Postecoglou’s men almost equalized in the stoppage time. However, they stood their ground and repelled the visitors’ late onslaught to secure a crucial win on home soil.
While Chelsea got the much-needed three points, some of the Blues faithful found fault with Sancho’s overall performance. The Englishman failed to create a significant impact upfront and was Chelsea's second-lowest-rated player (6.6), as per Sofascore. He missed one big chance, was dispossessed twice, and lost six out of seven duels.
After the match, fans berated him on social media. An X user wrote:
‘‘Jadon Sancho plays football like he’s buffering.''
Another tweeted:
‘‘Sancho has mastered the art of looking busy while doing absolutely nothing.''
‘‘Sancho playin his way into Ballers League,'' @LaPiochey wrote.
‘‘I’m not even a Chelsea fan and this Sancho yute is pis*in me off...,'' @TroopzAFC added.
‘‘Sancho must get 50 1v1s a game, he does nothing with of them,'' @flameosumeet chimed in.
‘‘Sancho is genuinely horrendous 😭😭😭😭😭,'' @IsmaillIlIlI wrote.
''He is pressing everyone'' – Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on Nicolas Jackson’s performance after 1-0 win against Spurs
Enzo Maresca spoke highly of Nicolas Jackson after their 1-0 win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. Jackson, who just returned to action for the Blues, didn’t have the best of nights against Spurs. He missed one big chance, recorded three unsuccessful dribbles, and lost six out of eight duels.
Despite his unimpressive outing, Maresca claimed that Jackson was an important player for the Blues and lauded his off-the-ball movement. Maresca said (via football.london):
‘‘We already had nine months and until the day I will be here, I will tell you our game plan depends on the opposition. Tonight we used more balls in behind because of Tottenham, the way they defend. Nico is an important player, off the ball he is pressing everyone and for sure, with Nico, we are in a different team.’’
Chelsea will next be in league action against Brentford on Sunday (April 6).
