Chelsea's big LOSER from Noah rout

Cameron Smith

8 Nov 2024 10:30 GMT
4 min read

Chelsea’s Europa Conference League clash against FC Noah on Thursday evening went as predicted, with the Blues running out 8-0 winners at Stamford Bridge.

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Enzo Maresca’s side have now bagged 16 goals in just three league phase matches, while they set a new record for the largest winning margin in Europa Conference League history.

Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku notched braces, Mykhailo Mudryk curled in a beauty from outside the box, Marc Guiu scored his first Chelsea goal, and defensive duo Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi both headed home Enzo Fernandez corners.

However, it surprisingly wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Blues.

The second-half performance was fairly tame, Filip Jorgensen was forced to make seven saves and several stars proved why they are currently deemed surplus to requirements in the Premier League.

Felix, for example, has been widely praised by fans and pundits alike, but his decision-making in the second-half was notably poor against subpar opposition, while Chelsea’s backline were breached far too often considering the gulf in class between the two teams.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s woes

One of the more concerning aspects of Chelsea’s win was the performance of summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The 26-year-old played an instrumental role in Leicester City’s promotion back to the Premier League last season, under Maresca’s guidance, but he has struggled since moving to west London.

© IMAGO - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall starred for Leicester last season

Dewsbury-Hall has racked up just 43 minutes of Premier League action so far this season, while he has been excluded from Chelsea’s matchday squad in five of their last seven English top flight fixtures.

The Blues are, of course, stacked with quality, but that fact is a major concern.

In addition, he failed to even make the starting XI against Noah, with Nkunku preferred in midfield and Guiu leading the line in attack.

Dewsbury-Hall did feature for the entirety of the second-half, but, if anything, he harmed his chances of more regular involvement.

The ex-Leicester star won a penalty in the 76th minute, however he appeared to initiate contact with Yan Eteki and Noah will feel hard done by after the incident was initially waved away by on-field referee Christian-Petru Ciochirca.

Furthermore, Dewsbury-Hall squandered a huge opportunity when played through on goal, with the Englishman failing to get a shot off, while he was dispossessed too easily on several occasions.

Near perfection in every appearance is needed for Dewsbury-Hall to stake a claim to usurp Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo or Cole Palmer in Chelsea’s first-choice midfield.

Current ETV

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

M, DM (C)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€20.5M - €34.2M

But, against Noah, the Englisman simply wasn’t at the level necessary to establish himself as a key player for the Stamford Bridge outfit.

It wasn’t a one-off either. Dewsbury-Hall was hooked after an ineffective 57 minutes versus Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup and he was fairly anonymous during a 4-1 win over Panathinaikos too.

Chelsea have a fantastic player on their hands, but the step up to a European giant looks as though it may have been too far for Dewsbury-Hall at present.

In 2025, Andrey Santos and Lesley Ugochukwu will return from loan, while Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez will arrive from South America. Dewsbury-Hall’s time at Chelsea, therefore, may be short-lived unless he can rectify his fortunes over the festive period.