Chelsea hit-man Tammy scores a brace but Blues blow 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Blades
By PAUL LAGAN
Chelsea threw away a two-goal lead in worrying fashion as the Blues drew 2-2 at home to promoted Sheffield United this afternoon.
Tammy Abraham looked to have secured the west Londoners first home league win of the season with two poachers’ strikes. But Chris Wilder’s side are strong and resilient and took full advantage of a leaky sense of concentration at the back for Chelsea.
That’s two home 2-2 draws for Chelsea who have won just one of their opening four Premier League matches – last week’s tight 3-2 win at Norwich City.
The Blues started confidently, without creating any penetrating balls to Tammy Abraham up front.
However the striker was also slow to react to latching onto balls played down the left channel by Emerson.
The first chance he had on 15 minutes saw him break free from the United rearguard but he screwed his angled shot well wide of Dean Henderson’s goal.The visitors reciprocated three minutes later when Luke Freeman tried his luck from 25 yards. But his effort was alway well wide of goal.
But Chelsea’s dominance of possession reaped it’s reward.
Abraham notched his third goal, of the season for the Blues on 19 minutes when he followed up his downward goal-bound header which Henderson failed to collect. The ball fell invitingly to the hit-man, and he smashed home a daisy-cutter in true poacher’ s fashion.
Mateo Kovacic had a great chance on 36 minutes when he sliced his was through United back four. This time his effort, while ending up wide of goal, was much, much closer than Abraham’s one.
A beautifully created chance by United almost saw an equaliser six minutes before the break.
Chris Balham send in a crisp first-time ball which in-running Callum Robinson met with a diving header. The ball inched wide of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s right post.
Three minutes later and Abraham pounced. Taking advantage of a mix-up between the United centre-back. He chased the ball down, and in one movement arrowed the ball past Henderson to double the home side’s lead.
But twenty seconds into the second half and Untied got a foothold back in the game where the Blues failed to stop a a left wing cross and Robinson, side-footed the ball past Kepa from eight-yards out.
Henderson foiled a hat-trick goal from Abraham on 55 minutes when he parried away a smart right-footer.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard replaced Ross Barkley with wide-man Willian on 60 minutes.
Michy Batshuayi made his first appearance for the Blues in the league when he came on for Kovacic with eight minutes to go. He also gave a league debut to Billy Gilmour, 18 in June, who came on for Abraham.
Mount saw a wonderful volley creep just wide of goal with three minutes left.
But disaster struck with a minute to go when the ball was hit across from the left by Henderson – Zouma put out a leg to block it but the ball zipped off his shin, past Kepa and in to the net for a deserved equaliser.
Teams: Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Jorginho, barkley, Abraham, Zouma, Mount, Pulisic, Azpilicueta Tomori, Emerson
Subs: Caballero, Alonso, Christensen, Willian, Giroud, Batshuayi, Gilmour
Sheffield United, Henderson, Baldock, Stevens, O’Connell, Balham, Lundstram, Freeman, McBurnie, Robinson, Egan, Norwood
Subs: Moore, Sharp, McGoldrick, Stearman, Mousset, Osborn, Besic
Referee; Stuart Attwell
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