Some people will genuinely view this season solely through the prism of how Jadon Sancho performs for Chelsea. And Manchester United lost the first battle.
The first suggestion might be that teams based on the south coast should simply consider converting their hard-earned penalties when hosting Big Six sides. It feels like it would make an inherently uphill task at least a little easier.
Southampton offered a lesson in the Saturday lunchtime game which Bournemouth decided not to learn from by the evening. There was not nearly the same sudden and unstoppable momentum shift after a saved spot kick at the Vitality than what took place at St Mary’s hours earlier, but Cameron Archer and Evanilson will have long since realised the ultimate cost of their 12-yard profligacy.
Manchester United and Chelsea were the benefactors and both already know their seasons are inexorably linked. For a depressing many, it matters less where those clubs finish, and more whether Jadon Sancho is *checks notes*… ‘washed‘ or ‘cooking‘. Is that right?
The first battle in what was already an interminably boring war before the forward even kicked a ball in blue went to Chelsea. While his parent club eventually swatted aside their promoted and seemingly doomed hosts, Sancho helped pull his temporary custodians out of a hole against a dogged, determined and dangerous Bournemouth.
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Robert Sanchez’s penalty save from Evanilson was the high mark of an eventful first half in which Marcus Tavernier clattered the crossbar within a minute and Cole Palmer busied himself either getting any opponent in the near vicinity booked, or raising his arms in frustration when Nicolas Jackson or Axel Disasi didn’t even try to access his elevated wavelength.
It was not until Sancho was introduced at half-time for Pedro Neto that Chelsea looked properly coherent in attack – and it was no coincidence. Almost immediately, Sancho combined wonderfully with Marc Cucurella down the left but there was no-one on hand to convert a low cross which flashed through the Bournemouth area.
Sancho’s care with the ball was most impressive. His intricate link-up play contrasted sharply with teammates who were operating ever so slightly yet still noticeably slower. In 45 minutes he attempted almost as many passes (26) as Cole Palmer (30) and misplaced only two, both of which were into a congested penalty area.
The Dortmund dribbling was more evident, too. Sancho completed two take-ons, at one stage nutmegging Adam Smith to help build another attack; the Bournemouth right-back was substituted seven minutes later and Julian Araujo was given no less difficult a time.
This was not a player shorn of confidence from his Manchester United struggles but inspired by them, no doubt to prove both a point and certain people wrong. Christopher Nkunku eventually scored the winning goal after displaying some fine footwork and finishing when Enzo Maresca resorted to simply throwing as many of his expensively-assembled forwards at the problem as possible, but it was Sancho’s clever pass through the lines which helped dissect a tired defence.
The man-of-the-match award was merely confirmation of what had been obvious for a while: Sancho had changed the game in precisely the way Chelsea had hoped he could when needed. And while his signing posed some uncomfortable questions about their squad-building which will remain unanswered, they deserve credit for providing an obviously excellent player with, at least for now, the right platform.
“I’ve been working hard for this moment and I’m just happy that I got my chance,” he said after the game. “I’m very happy here. I have to thank all the staff and my teammates. The first day I came in, they made me feel welcome and I’m so happy to feel this comfortable.”
Those Manchester United supporters bothered enough to reserve energy for a player almost certain to never represent them again will raise an eyebrow at that sort of quote, and it might be that Sancho and Maresca’s relationship soon suffers a sudden and irrevocable fracture. But Chelsea have drawn first blood.
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