Christian Pulisic is in his first season at Chelsea, following a $73 million move from Borussia Dortmund. The campaign’s first half saw the 21-year-old U.S. international make 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and claiming five assists.
ESPN will continue to assess Pulisic’s performances, with updates to this feature being added after every Chelsea match.
Pulisic’s previous games (first to last): Aug. 11 – Dec. 29 |
How he performed out of 10: 6. It was another lacklustre performance from Chelsea, and they were oftentimes downright dysfunctional. Pulisic didn’t stand out from that assessment, for better or worse. He enjoyed moments of quick interplay and clever close control that created opportunities, but his finishing was lacking and at times his decision-making was labourious.
Highlights: The U.S. international’s quick feet were a ray of hope throughout his 66-minute performance. His four take-ons were more than fellow attackers Tammy Abraham and Willian combined in his time on the pitch, creating a pair of chances in the first half and leading to three shots in the second. His passing wasn’t as sharp as it should’ve been, but he did dispatch a couple of clever balls that led to chances, one scooped effort to send Abraham into the area and another to Mason Mount that put the Blues in position to enjoy an extended spell of position in and around the Brighton box.
Lowlights: His decision-making in transition was at times poor, which manifested itself in a passing percentage of 77% — better than only Abraham and N’Golo Kante. He was impatient after beating two defenders in the first half, sending in a hopeful cross forward when he had no players forward with him. The shots he created for himself through clever footwork in the second half let him down; they were from positions and distances that should’ve yielded more than two missed targets and one simple save from Mat Ryan.
While the lowlights paint a picture of nothing but doom and gloom from Pulisic, no one from the West London club looked particularly impressive. Pulisic was one of 11 Blues dressed in black whose performances were as dark as their kits.
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