Chelsea bounced back with a hard-fought win against a determined Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge.
After suffering defeats against Manchester United and Everton in their previous two games, Chelsea secured a breakthrough nine minutes into the second half as Cole Palmer finished expertly following a skillful play by Raheem Sterling.
Seven minutes later, the score became 2-0 as Nicolas Jackson converted Palmer’s pass, taking advantage of Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham deflecting the ball into the path of the former Manchester City youngster.
Chelsea maintained nearly 80% possession throughout the entire 90 minutes, but their forgettable first half, under Mauricio Pochettino’s management, saw Conor Gallagher’s long-range attempt as their sole shot on target.
In the initial half, Cameron Archer’s attempt for the visitors went wide, and Chelsea’s debutant Djordje Petrovic made an impressive save from Gustavo Hamer’s low free-kick, representing the closest Sheffield United came to scoring.
In the second half, substitute Armando Broja missed a clear opportunity to extend Chelsea’s lead, misdirecting Palmer’s low delivery from point-blank range. With this victory, Chelsea now accumulates 22 points, while Sheffield United remains five points adrift at the bottom of the table.