Hakim Ziyech set a PL season benchmark vs Sheffield United/Reece James labelled ‘the finished article’
Last Updated: November 8, 2020 2:42 pm
A pair of interesting takeaways from Chelsea’s win over Sheffield United have been forthcoming online this evening.
Blues cruise
Frank Lampard’s men welcomed the Blades to Stamford Bridge earlier today, for a Premier League clash.
Chelsea headed into proceedings with their tails up, on the back of a much-improved spell of form of late.
All told, leading into Saturday’s matchup, the Pensioners boasted a 7-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, including wins in their last three.
Sheffield United, on the other hand, sat dead bottom of the English top-flight, having notched just a solitary point to this point in the campaign.
As such, a comfortable victory for the hosts was widely predicted ahead of kick-off.
And, when all was said and done in southwest London, this is precisely what was forthcoming.
Goals from all of Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and Timo Werner eventually saw Chelsea put Chris Wilder’s struggling outfit to the sword by 4 goals to 1.
The Blues now sit 3rd in the Premier League table, just a point adrift of joint-table-toppers Southampton and Liverpool.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Thiago Silva of Chelsea celebrates with teammate Ben Chilwell after scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge on November 07, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Highlights: Chelsea 4-1 Sheffield United
Ziyech dazzling/James hailed
In the aftermath of Chelsea’s latest win, a number of the Londoners’ stars have since been deservedly lavished in praise.
The likes of Thiago Silva, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante thoroughly impressed over the course of the 90 minutes versus Sheffield United.
None, though, proved more central to the Blues’ victory than Hakim Ziyech.
The Moroccan, who has begun to find his feet over the last couple of weeks since returning from injury, put on a creative masterclass this evening, bagging a pair of assists, as well as playing a key role in setting up Chelsea’s opener.
And a statistic, showcased below, to have surfaced in the hours following today’s Stamford Bridge clash, has perfectly illustrated just how impressive Ziyech actually proved from a creative standpoint:
6 & 2 – No player has created more chances in a Premier League game this season than Hakim Ziyech did this evening against Sheffield United (6 chances created & 2 assists). Superb. pic.twitter.com/8raugCIYS2
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 7, 2020
Another of Chelsea’s stars to have stood out this evening, meanwhile, was Reece James.
English international James has established himself as Frank Lampard’s undisputed first-choice right-back over recent weeks, with his superb display on Saturday further justification for this decision.
And one individual who has since been keen to single the stopper out for praise is Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.
Former Liverpool star Souness, famously difficult to impress, was drawn on James’ showing versus Sheffield United during the post-match analysis of the Blues’ win.
And the Scot went on to reveal his opinion that, despite his tender years, James already cuts the figure of ‘the finished article’.
Graeme Souness on Reece James: “He looks like the finished article already…at 20.” #CFC
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) November 7, 2020
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
Football Live streaming: Featured matches on January 27, 2020
| Game | Time | Predicted Score | Live Score Prediction/Live Score | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Chelsea FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 90' | 2-1 | 0-0 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion FC vs Fulham FC | 23' | 1-0 | 0-0 | |
| Everton FC vs Leicester City FC | 27 January, 20:15 (In 20 minutes) | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
| Manchester United FC vs Sheffield United FC | 27 January, 20:15 (In 20 minutes) | 2-0 | 2-0 | |
 Celtic Glasgow vs Hamilton Academical FC | 08' | 4-0 | 0-0 | |
| Hibernian FC vs Glasgow Rangers | 08' | 0-3 | 0-0 |
Chelsea betting odds, next game:
Chelsea vs Burnley odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Chelsea vs Burnley Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 9/4 | 6/5 |
| Burnley | 12/1 | 11/1 |
| Draw | 11/2 | 11/1 |
| Chelsea vs Burnley Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olivier Giroud | 7/4 | 7/4 | 5/6 |
| Timo Werner | 7/4 | 7/4 | 5/6 |
| Tammy Abraham | 2/1 | 2/1 | 10/11 |
| Christian Pulisic | 11/4 | 11/4 | 6/4 |
| Callum Hudson-Odoi | 10/3 | 10/3 | 13/8 |
Chelsea's latest videos
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 19 | 23 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 19 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 20 | 6 | 30 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 17 | 13 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 20 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 20 | -15 | 19 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | -33 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
