Chelsea survived a late fightback from Luton to claim an important win in a thrilling game at Kenilworth Road.
Chelsea, who came into the highly anticipated match needing a win to continue their recent upturn in form, took the lead early on. Cole Palmer latched onto a mistake from Luton Town defender Isac Kabore to smash a low drive into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Thomas Kaminiski.
The Blues continued to dominate in the first half, and their pressure paid off as summer signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City was involved once again, providing a through ball to Noni Madueke, who powerfully drove the ball into the top corner from inside the Luton box.
Chelsea striker Nicholas Jackson would thread a ball through into Chelsea’s 21-year-old midfielder Palmer, who showed composure ahead of his years, as he rounded Luton’s goalkeeper before sitting down two Luton defenders and slotting calmly into an empty net. This gave the West London side a healthy 3-0 lead going into the last 25 minutes of the game.
Luton would make Chelsea earn all three points as the Hatters pushed players forward in the hopes of getting a consolation goal. Elijah Adebayo thought he had done so, but his header was ruled out by VAR for an offside in the build-up play. Former Chelsea player Ross Barkley would score a header from a corner to give his side a slim chance of a comeback.
Luton’s pressure continued, with substitute Carlton Morris's header getting pushed onto the crossbar before Adebayo scored Luton’s second goal of the game late on, setting up a tense final five minutes. Chelsea would survive.
The victory showcased Chelsea’s recent upturn in form, as they picked up their second vital win of the week. Chelsea will hope their end-of-year good form continues into the new year after the club's difficult 2023 season.
The victory means Chelsea have picked up two vital wins in the space of a week as they look to start climbing up the Premier League table after a challenging 2023.
Mauricio Pochettino will be glad of the victory but still find Chelsea’s lack of clean sheets a worry. The victory takes Chelsea up to 10th in the table.
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