25 August 2023 , 20:53
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Chelsea claimed their first Premier League win of the Mauricio Pochettino era, with Raheem Sterling scoring twice and laying on a third for Nicolas Jackson.
A draw with Liverpool and defeat against West Ham put increased pressure on the visit of Luton, who had a longer break after the postponement of their meeting with Burnley. There were nervy moments, but Chelsea finally had a result to go with the smaller positives of the first two games.
Mauricio Pochettino's side had the best of the first half, but a Raheem Sterling goal was all they had to show for it. They still looked comfortable immediately after the restart, though, with Enzo Fernandez hitting the post, and eventually settled any lingering nerves.
Pochettino's team started on the front foot, with Sterling stinging the palms of opposition keeper Thomas Kaminski. Further chances followed, with Fernandez firing inches over after a quick break, but Chelsea didn't look entirely convincing at the back themselves.
It felt as though the first goal would be crucial in settling some nerves, and Sterling delivered. They couldn't add a second before half-time, though, and there was a worry Luton might be allowed back into the game,
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Sterling's second ended that hope for the visitors, though, before Jackson made the points safe. Here are Mirror Football 's talking points from an important night for Pochettino and his team.
1. Sterling off the mark
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Raheem Sterling showed his quality in front of goal (Getty Images)Raheem Sterling impressed against West Ham with minimal reward, but many wanted to give it at least one more week before declaring him back to his best. Within 20 minutes he put more evidence in the 'yes' pile.
Looking at the Chelsea starting XI, and their bench, there may have been questions over where the goals would come from. Sterling answered that in short order, waltzing through the Luton defence before calmly beating Kaminski.
With Christopher Nkunku injured and Romelu Lukaku persona non grata, there will be a lot of pressure on Sterling and Nicolas Jackson to help Chelsea's goal tally. That will sometimes mean doing it all yourself, so this should offer some encouragement.
2. Gallagher advanced
Were it not for Carney Chukwuemeka's injury, Conor Gallagher might have been the man to make way for Moises Caicedo to make his full debut. Instead, though, the England international was pushed forward by his manager.
Gallagher was able to cause more problems from the more advanced role, nearly playing in Raheem Sterling around 10 minutes into the game. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo didn't have too much to do behind him in the first period.
There was even a moment late on when Gallagher made the kind of late run reminiscent of Frank Lampard's time in Chelsea's midfield. While the finish was lacking, it suggested that when the Blues are at full strength, the more advanced role may be where he can best show his quality.
3. Caicedo still getting up to speed
One of Chelsea's £100m+ midfielders gave a good account of himself after last week's setback. The other was a little more subdued... right up until he wasn't.
There were ups and downs on Moises Caicedo's full debut for Chelsea (Paul Dennis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)Part of this may be down to their respective styles, with Enzo Fernandez more comfortable at the sharp end of the pitch. The Argentine did appear to have put his penalty miss behind him, though, and could easily have got himself on the scoresheet after one of a couple of well-timed runs.
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Moises Caicedo will surely be more useful in those games where Chelsea have less of the ball and will need to turn it over well, but he's no slouch quality-wise. He struggled to make much of a mark on this game early on, but eventually sparked into life with a calm pass that allowed Malo Gusto to play in Sterling for Chelsea's second.
4. New men making an impact
Nicolas Jackson got his name on the scoresheet (Daniel Hambury/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)It's hardly a secret that Reece James is an important figure to this Chelsea side. Even so, the loss of the England international, both as a versatile defender and as a captain, was noticeable.
Malo Gusto may have the goods to step up and succeed James one day, but he's not there yet. The fluid formation preferred by Pochettino relies on familiarity and quality, and the loss of either - let alone both - can clearly hurt, but Gusto's assist for Sterling's second will no doubt help him feel like he belongs.
Further forward, Jackson got the goal his early displays have warranted, but it was his build-up work which might be more important going forward. If he can be the glue in the final third, the loss of Nkunku might not be as painful as first feared.
5. Long season for Luton
It's two games and two defeats for the Premier League new boys (Shaun Brooks/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)Despite avoiding some of the individual weaknesses which blighted their opening fixture against Brighton, Luton felt some way off their opponents. Given the disparity in spending, that's hardly a surprise, but the Hatters will be under no illusions about how tough things are in the top flight.
It took them an hour to threaten Robert Sanchez's goal in any meaningful way, with the Chelsea keeper bringing Ryan Giles' deflected effort under his spell.
One thing that may encourage them, though, is last season's pattern. It took them five games to get their first win, and it was only a run of 14 unbeaten games to end the season which ensured they had a play-off place to look forward to. They'll need to start showing more against less fancied teams than they do against those with bigger hopes and bigger budgets, though.