Leading 3-0 after 70 minutes, Chelsea struggled to win 3-2 at Luton Town in round 20 of the Premier League.
From the 70th minute onwards, Luton Town looked like a giant, desperate to regain their position with fast, attacking football, rather than a newly promoted team struggling to avoid a return to the First Division. In contrast, Chelsea cowered in fear of defeat, barely knowing how to brace themselves against the pressure of their opponents.
Luton Town midfielder Sambi Lokonga (red shirt) competes for the ball with Christopher Nkunku during Luton Town's 2-3 loss to Chelsea at Kenilworth Road in the 20th round of the Premier League on December 30, 2023. Photo: AFP
That psychological difference was soon concretized by Luton when Adebayo headed past Chelsea goalkeeper Petrovic in the 74th minute. But VAR intervened to determine that Doughty - who created the pass for Elijah Adebayo - was offside when he received the ball, so the referee canceled the home team's goal. Six minutes later, Petrovic was again headed by Adebayo after a cross from the right by Ross Barkley, but this time, it was the crossbar that saved Chelsea.
However, the pressure Luton created was eventually rewarded with two goals in eight minutes. In the 80th minute, from a cross from Doughty, former Chelsea midfielder Barkley ran into position, chose a good position to head the ball into the far corner, beating Petrovic. Seven minutes later, Chelsea's defense was easily broken when Luton coordinated a pass into the penalty area for Doughty to head the ball hard. Petrovic reacted well, parried the shot, but the ball bounced just in time for Adebayo to tap in from close range, scoring.
The one-goal gap left Chelsea paralyzed with fear of defeat for the remaining nine minutes, including six minutes of injury time. But that was too short a time for Luton to once again create a breakthrough.
The 3-2 result helped Chelsea end their drought of away wins in the Premier League that had lasted for more than a month. Before that, Pochettino's team lost 1-4 to Newcastle, 1-2 to Man Utd, 0-2 to Everton and 1-2 to Wolves - Chelsea's longest run of poor away results since they lost all five away games from October to December 2000. The victory over Luton also helped Chelsea maintain their unbeaten streak in the final Premier League matches of the calendar year, with eight wins and four draws, since losing 1-3 at home to Aston Villa in 2011. With three more points, Chelsea returned to the top half of the Premier League, standing 10th.
Palmer scores during Chelsea's 3-2 win over Luton Town on December 30, 2023 at Kenilworth Road. Photo: AFP
The match at Kenilworth Road started like a dream for Mauricio Pochettino's team, when they were gifted a gift in the 12th minute. After Chelsea put pressure on, home defender Kabore cleared the ball like a pass to Cole Palmer, who received a pass from the $45 million midfielder, then finished with his left foot into the far bottom corner, past goalkeeper Kaminski, opening the score.
Luton were unfazed by the early goal, and even started to dominate Chelsea in the minutes that followed. But they often failed to make decisive plays, either in the final pass or in the finishing move. Having attacked without scoring, the newly promoted side were hit by a counter-attack in the 37th minute. Receiving the ball from Palmer, Madueke drove into the penalty area, turned the ball twice and fired a cannon into the roof of the Luton net, doubling the score.
The 2-0 lead allowed Chelsea to play comfortably in the first half of the second half, before they extended the gap in the 70th minute. Palmer once again shone when he received a through ball from striker Nicolas Jackson, broke through, beat both goalkeeper Kaminski and the Luton defenders to put the ball into the net.
But while the home side were still determined to play in front of the cheering crowd at Kenilworth Road, Chelsea's early satisfaction with the lead saw them play down after Palmer's goal to make it 3-0. Pochettino's team therefore had to endure a miserable final 26 minutes, conceding two goals and many heart-stopping moments, to maintain a one-goal lead and leave with all three points.
Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic catches the ball under pressure from home team Luton Town at the end of the 20th round of the Premier League on the evening of December 30, 2023. Photo: AFP
After the New Year break, Chelsea will host Preston in the third round of the FA Cup on January 7, then play Middlesbrough in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final on January 10. Meanwhile, Luton will next play in the third round of the FA Cup, hosting Bolton on January 7.
Nhat Tao
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