Chelsea fired manager Thomas Tuchel as a result of the team’s disappointing season debut. The most recent performance, a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League to Dinamo Zagreb, was the tipping point for Todd Boehly, who has fired his manager with immediate effect.
While the Club works quickly to appoint a new head coach, Chelsea’s coaching staff will oversee the team throughout training and during the preparation of our forthcoming matches.
Details to come…
Due to Dinamo Zagreb’s shocking 1-0 victory on Tuesday, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Champions League debut for Chelsea was destroyed.
After being paired with Dinamo, Red Bull Salzburg, and AC Milan in Group E, Thomas Tuchel’s team was predicted to breeze through the division. But when Mislav Orsic’s first-half goal punished the Blues for yet another poor performance in Zagreb, their mission might not be as straightforward.
Tuchel is under pressure to produce championships in exchange for the enormous investment he has made after spending £250 million ($280 million) on new acquisitions since the end of the previous season. However, Chelsea’s spending binge hasn’t yet paid off as evidenced by their lack of standout Premier League performances and current streak of three straight away losses in all competitions.
Aubameyang had a forgettable debut after moving to Chelsea from Barcelona in a £10.3 million deadline-day move just months after his bitter departure from Arsenal. The 33-year-old only trained with Chelsea for the first time on Sunday and has only played eight minutes this season.
Aubameyang recently cracked his jaw following a brutal house invasion, necessitating a trip to Italy for the Gabon striker’s special protective mask to be installed.
Aubameyang appeared uneasy as he battled to get past the Croatian champions’ tight defense, whether it was the mask or his lack of familiarity with his new teammates.
When Kai Havertz whipped in a seductive pass, the first warning flag appeared when he chose not to attack the close post. Aubameyang then had a clear shot at goal but hesitated before deciding whether to fire or pass to Raheem Sterling, putting Zagreb in jeopardy.
Early on, Chelsea controlled the ball with dominance, but in the 13th minute, a merciless Dinamo counterattack caught them off guard.
Real Madrid battled over a hostile environment and the injury to Karim Benzema to start their Champions League defense with a merciless 3-0 victory at Celtic.
The record-extending 15th European Cup run of Los Blancos was put on hold when star scorer Karim Benzema suffered a knee injury 30 minutes into Tuesday’s opening.
At that point, Callum McGregor had already hit the post for Celtic, who were now back in the group stage after a four-season absence. Celtic also continued to pose problems for their opponents. But like they did so frequently last season, Madrid found a way, as evidenced by quick goals from Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric, after which Eden Hazard brilliantly added a third.
In a spirited first half hour for the hosts at a rowdy Celtic Park, Liel Abada and Reo Hatate both questioned Thibaut Courtois.
When McGregor was found by Giorgos Giakoumakis, Ange Postecoglou’s team came even closer to scoring when he fired a left-footed shot against the goal’s frame. Soon after, Madrid lost Benzema to injury, but if Joe Hart had not stopped Vinicius from beating him one-on-one, Madrid would have taken the lead at the break.
The visitors scored their first goal 11 minutes into the second half after surviving another scare when replacement Daizen Maeda missed a close-range attempt at Courtois.
At the end of a quick assault, Federico Valverde found Vinicius with a beautiful pass into the middle of the box, and the striker calmly finished past Hart with a first-time effort.
Four minutes later, Madrid scored again as Modric, who was making his 100th appearance for the team in the competition, nudged the ball past Hart and finished with the outside of the foot.
From that point on, everything went well, and Hazard, who had been substituted for Benzema, added a third goal from close range at the conclusion of a superb team move.
Watch the match highlights below.
On Sunday, Antony scored on his Manchester United debut, as the Brazilian’s clinical strike and Marcus Rashford’s double inspired a 3-1 win that ended Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Antony made his debut after joining United from United manager Erik ten Hag’s former club Ajax in an £82 million ($94 million) deal on Thursday. With flicks, tricks, and purposeful movement, the 22-year-old forward scored in just 35 minutes in a dazzling debut for his new fans at Old Trafford.
Arsenal equalized through Bukayo Saka, but Rashford stunned the leaders with two goals in nine second-half minutes after Antony was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo. United were able to celebrate a fourth consecutive victory, moving them up to fifth place, thanks to Antony and Rashford.
Ten Hag’s first two games as manager were humiliating defeats against Brighton and Brentford.
Watch the match highlights below.
Leading scorers in the English Premier League following the weekend’s matches:
10 goals: Haaland (Manchester City)
6 goals: Mitrovic (Fulham)
5 goals: Kane (Tottenham), Toney (Brentford)
4 goals: Mac Allister (Brighton), Rodrigo (Leeds), Zaha (Crystal Palace)
3 goals: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Luis Diaz (Liverpool), Pascal Grob (Brighton), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Martin Odegaard (Arsenal).
Brighton extended their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a 5-2 victory over bottom-placed Leicester, while leaders Arsenal prepared for the latest test of their unbeaten start against Manchester United later on Sunday.
Graham Potter’s fourth-placed side improved to four wins from six games with a second-half surge at the Amex Stadium.
Leicester took the lead in the first minute thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho, but Brighton took the lead thanks to a Luke Thomas own goal and Moises Caicedo’s strike.
Leicester’s Patson Daka equalized, but the struggling visitors crumbled after halftime as Leandro Trossard put Brighton ahead before Alexis Mac Allister’s double sealed the rout.
Leicester have only taken one point from their first six games, losing five in a row, putting manager Brendan Rodgers under intense pressure.
Rodgers admitted after Thursday’s defeat against Manchester United that the Foxes, who twice narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification under his leadership, are not the same club they were two years ago.
Rodgers, who led Leicester to their first FA Cup victory in 2021, has also publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the club’s owners’ lack of support in the transfer market, with Wout Faes the only outfield player signed since the end of last season. Mac Allister ended the game by converting a penalty in the 71st minute after Wilfred Ndidi fouled Trossard, then curling a free-kick past Danny Ward in the final seconds. Arsenal can make it six wins in a row at Old Trafford if Mikel Arteta’s team can maintain their hot start. United will be the first true test of Arsenal’s unexpectedly strong start.United manager Erik ten Hag was humbled to begin his reign with two consecutive losses. However, United have won three games in a row, beginning with an impressive victory over Liverpool and continuing with victories at Southampton and Leicester.
Antony will make his debut for United after signing the Brazilian forward from Ten Hag’s former club Ajax for £82 million this week.
Substitute Kai Havertz scored a late winner as Chelsea rallied from a goal down to defeat West Ham, who had a 90th-minute Maxwel Cornet equalizer ruled out.
The Hammers frustrated Chelsea in a first half that saw plenty of home possession but no shots on goal for either side, and Michail Antonio scored from a rare attack after 62 minutes, looking to have executed their gameplan perfectly.
After Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy failed to deal with a corner, the forward bundled in from close range, but the visitors’ lead was erased 14 minutes later.
Watch the match highlights below.
Jordan Pickford’s stunning goalkeeping performance in an absorbing 0-0 draw with Everton at Goodison Park frustrated Liverpool. Tom Davies hit the crossbar for Everton in a game that swung from end to end, while Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz did the same for Liverpool.
The England goalkeeper made several excellent saves, while his opposite number Alisson had to be alert to prevent a home win in a Merseyside derby that could have been rife with goals.
In the first half, both teams rattled the goal frame, Everton through Tom Davies before Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz followed suit, and Mohamed Salah was also denied late on.
Everton thought they had taken the lead midway through the second half when former Liverpool academy player Conor Coady touched in Neal Maupay’s cross, only to be denied when a VAR check revealed he was inches offside.
Not forgetting that Conor Coady’s disallowed goal for Everton sparked ugly scenes during Saturday’s goalless Merseyside derby, which boiled over when a bottle thrown from the stands narrowly missed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
A beer bottle appeared to be thrown from behind the managers’ technical areas, missing Klopp by a whisker. As if that wasn’t enough, an Everton supporter ran onto the pitch from the Gwladys Street End in an attempt to confront referee Anthony Taylor before being escorted away by stewards.
Those heinous incidents overshadowed a pulsating clash between these bitter rivals, which could have ended with goals aplenty if not for Everton keeper Jordan Pickford’s man of the match performance and some fine saves from Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker.
Everton’s victory at Anfield in 2021 remains their only victory in the last 28 Merseyside derbies in all competitions. Frank Lampard’s team is now winless in their first six games of the season, while Liverpool’s momentum has been dampened after winning their previous two games.
Manchester United defeated Leicester City 1 – 0 in the Premier League on Thursday.
Man United make it three wins in a row as Jadon Sancho’s early strike seals a 1-0 win and moves Erik ten Hag’s team up to fifth in the table, while Brendan Rodgers’ side remains at the bottom.
Sancho had shown great poise in rounding Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward. After 23 minutes, Jadon Sancho’s smooth finish from Marcus Rashford’s pass maintained United’s recent revival and allowed them to build on victories over Liverpool and Southampton. United remained largely in control against an out-of-sorts Leicester, who are still looking for their first league win of the season and who, along with manager Brendan Rodgers, sensed the home fans’ impatience.
After the first-half break, Leicester seemed to need to respond, and James Maddison came close. However, United made late changes to close the game out, bringing in Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Watch the match highlights below.
Chelsea has confirmed the signing of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana on a seven-year contract.
The Blues have been heavily linked with the Frenchman for several weeks, despite the fact that his contract at the King Power Stadium does not expire until 2027. However, with Thomas Tuchel desperate to strengthen his defense, Chelsea’s co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly is willing to support his head coach in the transfer market.
Although Leicester rejected several bids in the region of £60m and £70m for Fofana, it was widely assumed that the 21-year-old had his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge. At a time when Fofana has been omitted from Brendan Rodgers’ first-team squad, reports emerged over the weekend that the parties involved had reached an agreement on a fee. With personal terms already agreed upon, a medical took place at the start of the week, allowing Chelsea to confirm the transfer on Wednesday afternoon. While no fee has been disclosed, The Telegraph’s John Percy reports that Leicester will receive £70 million plus add-ons.
Fofana told the club’s official website, “The last two days have been really big days for me, and I’m very happy.” I trained with the team this morning, which is a dream come true for me. I’m ecstatic to begin playing games for the fans and the club. “I’m here to win trophies, including the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup. I came here to win, and the club is built to win trophies, so I’m here to keep that going.”
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