If there was any pressure lifted on Mauricio Pochettino following the thrilling win over Manchester United last week, that was straight back on him off the back of yesterday’s result.
Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw away at Sheffield United, with them conceding late to pile more misery on the Argentine.
Thiago Silva found the net early after being brought back in from the cold, while Noni Madueke looked as if he had won it with a fierce strike in the second half.
Pochettino under pressure
Pochettino made a few changes from the side who had beaten United, with there being only a three day turnaround from that game.
One of the switches saw Mykhailo Mudryk dropped to the bench, and Madueke start on the opposite side, leaving the left wing seemingly vacant.
Instead of switching the influential Cole Palmer there, the boss elected to start Conor Gallagher on this side.
Gallagher playing in strange winger role
While the England international has enjoyed a strong campaign under Pochettino, it is certainly fair to say his skillset does not suit that of a winger, especially not the Ukranian he was directly replacing.
This saw him have a mediocre performance where he couldn’t really affect the game, and the team balance be completely skewed.
If Ben Chilwell had been fit there would have perhaps been more of an arguement for his countryman to start there, given the vice-captain’s obvious attacking threat down the left.
However, Marc Cucurella is a far more defensive player in that position, and therefore any Chelsea attacks down the left would be very limited.
Mudryk will perhaps be wondering what he did wrong to see him lose his place in the side, especially for a game against a side likely to be relegated at the end of the season.
It remains to be seen who will start in that role when they return to action in a week against Everton.