Chelsea proved they could cope with their own Roman Abramovich turmoil as they defeated 3-1 Norwich just minutes following the news that the British government banned the club’s Russian owner, and Leeds was further thrown into relegation woes on Thursday.
Thomas Tuchel’s team reached Carrow Road, rocked by the news that Abramovich is among seven oligarchs of new UK sanctions after the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The seven players are all described as belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circle, which includes Abramovich’s UK assets being frozen and imposing strict restrictions imposed on Chelsea that are currently in a position not to sign new players and renew contracts or sell tickets matches.
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Abramovich had previously stated his intention to sell Chelsea, awarded 19 significant prizes during his 19-year tenure.
Although Chelsea’s future remains obscured by uncertainty, however, they are still an impressive player on the field, and goals scored by Trevoh Chalobah Mason Mount and Kai Havertz made the mood better at the 117th anniversary of Chelsea’s creation.
Third-placed Chelsea has been able to win nine of their last ten matches across all competitions. They are nine points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United to make it to the Champions League via a top-four finishing.
When asked about the possible consequences of sanctions for the squad, Tuchel said: “Everybody can be sure that we’re focused on ourselves, keeping the mindset and attitude in the gym and the team.”
“So far we can trust each other and this will not change. As long as we have enough shirts and a bus to drive to the games we will be there and will compete hard.”
Chelsea’s primary shirt sponsor, Mobile phone company Three was the one to respond to the punishments by temporarily suspending the agreement and asking for its logo to be taken off from Chelsea’s shirts.
However, Chelsea went out on the field in their blue home kit, which featured the Three logos.
Abramovich trouble
Despite the harm caused by their owner’s supposed connections to Putin, Chelsea’s supporters quickly congratulated Abramovich while they shouted his name as the Blues gained a 3-1 lead.
Mount’s corner slid into Chalobah as the defense slid towards the corner at the bottom.
Chelsea couldn’t have picked an easier opponent than the bottom of the table Norwich to prove that they can still function.
In the 14th minute of the game, Havertz set up Mount on the Norwich area. The midfielder struck a brilliant shot into the upper corner of the.
Teemu Pukki of Norwich scored a penalty in the 69th minute after Chalobah stopped Pierre Lees-Melou’s pass with his arm. Havertz scored Chelsea’s third goal with an off-side finish in the closing minutes.
Leeds are in grave danger of losing their place following a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Elland Road.
Jesse Marsch’s debut home game as a coach was a let-down following the loss in Leicester last weekend in his debut game since taking over Marcelo Bielsa.
Leeds has dropped six consecutive league matches and is clear of the relegation zone. They have played two more games than the third-bottom Burnley.
Villa scored after the interval in the 22nd after Philippe Coutinho scored his fourth goal since signing on loan from Barcelona.
Matty Cash scored at the end of 65 minutes. Calum Chambers secured the points just eight minutes later.
Newcastle took one step closer to the end of their season with a 2-1 win at Southampton, which extended their unbeaten league streak to nine matches.
Southampton scored first with the help of Stuart Armstrong in the 25th minute.
New Zealand striker Chris Wood scored Newcastle’s equalizer during the 32nd minute of the match, scoring the first time he scored since he joined the club from Burnley at the beginning of January.
Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes marked his first debut since his switch from Lyon by scoring a magnificent back-heeled goal within the second minute. The Newcastle side moved eight points away from the zone of relegation.
Wolves defeated second-bottom Watford 4-1, thanks to goals by Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence, and Ruben Neves. They also scored a Cucho Hernandez goal of their own.
Bruno Lage’s team ended an unbeaten run with three consecutive defeats and left Watford three points away from the safety line after a fifth defeat within their past seven games.
