Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images
Egypt international Ramadan Sobhi watched from the bench as Chelsea thrashed Huddersfield Town 3-0 in their opening Premier League game.
The match began with Huddersfield keeper Ben Hamer giving the ball away twice in quick succession with Alvaro Morata placing his shot wide on the second giveaway. The Spanish forward had another chance minutes later but squandered his first touch.
Huddersfield had two chances later into the first half, but both were weak and were easily handled by Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. In the 34th minute, Chelsea went ahead as World Cup winner N’Golo Kante scored from inside the box. His goal was the Frenchman’s first goal in the Premier League since September 2017.
In the final moments of the first half, Chelsea were awarded a penalty as Christopher Schindler fouled Marcos Alonso inside the box. Former Napoli midfielder Jorginho converted to give Chelsea the 2-0 lead going into half-time.
Antonio Rüdiger had a brilliant chance to extend Chelsea’s lead but his header went just wide. Soon after, Alonso’s scissor kick hit the crossbar and bounced away. Just four minutes after entering the match, Eden Hazard assisted Pedro’s chip to make it 3-0.
Chelsea continued to dominate the match with no other goals to show for their efforts. The Blues are temporarily at top of the table on goal difference with Huddersfield temporarily in last place.
Huddersfield Town will next face reigning champions Manchester City in the second round of the Premier League on August 19. Meanwhile, Chelsea will next face Mohamed Elneny’s Arsenal on August 18.
