£60k-p/w Chelsea Man Nearly Cost Enzo Maresca vs Brighton

Absolute mayhem would be the most accurate way to describe the scenes at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as Chelsea took advantage of a poor defensive display to dismantle Brighton in a 4-2 victory. Cole Palmer was undoubtedly the star of the show, with the talismanic 22-year-old responding to having a goal ruled out in the 20th minute by notching up four before the half-time whistle, including an astounding free-kick.

While Palmer’s record-breaking performance – he became the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League game – was extraordinary, it also spared the blushes of one very fortunate teammate. The Englishman’s strikes helped the Blues recover from going 1-0 down inside 10 minutes and extended their lead after they were pegged back to 3-2 shortly after the half hour mark.

While the result ended up being a positive one, it was no thanks to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s efforts. The Spaniard’s dreadful display has now gotten fans talking, with the former Seagull now at risk of being axed for the second time in a little over 12 months in London.

Sanchez’s Costly Mistakes vs Brighton

The goalkeeper was at fault for both of the visitors goals

Despite having been dropped from Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI towards the back end of the Argentine’s tenure, Sanchez has found himself back in favour with new manager Enzo Maresca. Up until the visit of his former club, he had started in every Premier League game and would likely have been feeling a little more confident than he had in previous months.

That would evaporate quickly as the hosts fell behind early on. Poor defending saw a mix-up at the back and a terrible clearance from Levi Colwill. Despite that, there appeared to be no imminent danger as the ball ballooned into the sky. That was until Sanchez unnecessarily came charging out to punch the ball clear. This allowed Georgino Rutter to beat him to the punch and head into the empty net.

An awful mistake, but one the £60k p/w man could put behind him as he watched Palmer wrestle back the advantage. The worst was still yet to come, mind.

Moments after the hosts gained a two-goal cushion, Sanchez gifted possession to Quomah Baleba under no pressure. The 20-year-old took full advantage and smashed the ball past the unprepared shot-stopper to swing the momentum back to the visitors.

Ultimately, the performance did not cost Chelsea anything, but it was enough for fans to make their mind up about their number one.

Fans React to Sanchez Howlers

Many supporters are keen to see the goalkeeper replaced

Unsurprisingly, the reaction to Sanchez’s performance was overwhelmingly negative. Several supporters did not hold back with their opinions on the Spanish international, with one saying that ‘Sanchez is horrific, legitimately will never understand why Chelsea ever bought him, much less made him the starter. Two awful, awful mistakes from him to gift Brighton two goals.’

Another claimed that the goalkeeper was ‘a walking calamity’ who had prevented the home side from cruising to a comfortable victory, while yet another labelled the 26-year-old’s decision-making as being absolutely diabolical.

Sanchez at Risk of Being Dropped

It has been reported that Filip Jorgensen could be given a chance to impress

It is not just the Chelsea faithful of Sanchez’s abundance of mistakes. It was reported during proceedings by Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail that Enzo Maresca was furious on the touchline after Brighton’s second goal and will reportedly look to replace the goalkeeper in Europe this coming week. Gill claimed:

Jorgensen made the move to West London this summer having impressed for La Liga side Villarreal. The 22-year-old has been earmarked as a potential goalkeeping option for the future, and has featured in both UEFA Conference League qualifiers and in the Carabao Cup against Barrow.

Should he continue to impress, there is every possibility that the Danish starlet could be handed the reins in between the sticks, much like what happened with Djordje Petrovic last season.