Jadon Sancho’s Chelsea debut could hardly have gone much better than his 45 minutes off the bench in a 1-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
Sancho’s super sub performance played a massive role in the win. Entering at halftime for Pedro Neto, Sancho was dangerous on the left wing and gave Adam Smith and then Julian Araujo fits en route to assisting the game-deciding goal.
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Facing up Araujo on Chelsea’s left side with less than a five minutes to play, Sancho’s short, choppy movements led to a cut inside and an incisive pass to Christopher Nkunku.
The Frenchman took the ball in the 18 and had plenty to do before pushing the ball past Mark Travers, but Sancho’s assist was a fitting end to a game-changing debut that will deliver hope to both the player and Chelsea fans.
Sancho completed 24-of-26 passes and was credited with a pair of created chances amongst his 37 touches. He also recorded four recoveries.
Jadon Sancho’s post-match comments
“First of all it is amazing to make my debut for Chelsea,” Sancho said after the game. “Just being back playing I’m very grateful. Other than that, the team played very well. We dug in until the end and we are just happy with the three points.”
“I’ve been working hard for this moment and I’m just happy that I got my chance.”
“I had a great end to last season obviously being in the Champions League final. I just told myself going into this season, I want to have a great start to the season, This is my first game so I’m happy to get a win with Chelsea.”
“I have to say thank all the staff and obviously my team-mates. The first day I came in, they made me feel welcome and I’m thankful to them for making me to feel this comfortable.”