20 league games without a clean sheet
Chelsea drew 2–2 with Hull City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro scored. Mohamed Belloumi scored twice for Hull. And Chelsea have now gone 20 league games without a clean sheet for the first time in 65 years (4)(7)(9).
That is the story of the week. Not the dropped points, though two more of those hurt. The record. Xabi Alonso has a free-scoring side that cannot stop conceding, and four league games in he has seven points, nine goals conceded and fourth place in the table (7).
Alonso does not hide from it. "We need to know that even when we have the lead, a very important part of the game is to hold together, to keep the distances, to go intense in the situations to defend," he said after the draw (5). He is right. It is also his job to fix it.
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The right side is a turnstile
Phil Neville put his finger on the exact spot on Saturday. "There was lots of space on that right-hand side, in behind Neto," he said (6). Hull attacked it all afternoon and earned a point they probably deserved (18).
Gary Neville went further, calling Chelsea "too soft" and arguing Hull merited more than the draw (19). The numbers back the pundits up. Emiliano Martinez has now conceded seven goals in three matches and was at fault again on Saturday (10). Jorrel Hato had a first half poor enough to be withdrawn at the break (11). When your goalkeeper and your left-sided centre-back both have off days in the same 90 minutes, the shape falls apart.
Alonso made the change early. It did not stop the bleeding.
The women's team already found their answer
Chelsea Women won 5–0 at Manchester United in the WSL, their first win of the season after dropping points to Aston Villa on the opening weekend (1)(3)(9). Sjoeke Nüsken and Keira Walsh scored before the break. Lauren James, Ellie Carpenter and Lucy Bronze added three more after it.
It was as one-sided as the scoreline suggests: 25 shots to United's two (7). Bronze captained the side, helped create Walsh's goal and scored deep into stoppage time. Sonia Bompastor called her "unbelievable" (2)(5).
One club, two moods. The men's team concedes twice against a promoted side at home. The women's team puts five past a title rival and makes it look routine.
What to watch at Brentford
Friday night at Brentford is the game Alonso cannot dodge. Another promoted side, away from home, against a goalkeeper short on confidence (10).
Chelsea are winless in five straight Premier League home games against newly promoted teams (Reddit). Friday is on the road, which may help. The clean sheet drought is the number that decides whether this season is a wobble or a pattern (7)(20).
