Chelsea Fans Are Right, £260k-p/w Duo Were ‘Useless’ Despite 1-0 Win vs Spurs

It was a positive return to Premier League action for Chelsea as they came away from their London derby with Tottenham as 1-0 victors. Enzo Fernandez’s second-half header was enough to secure all three points, with both sides seeing goals disallowed as well.

The Blues went into the contest having had to wait more than two weeks to respond to what was a dismal performance against Arsenal last time out, but the win tonight strengthened their top four credentials. Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s side were aiming for their first domestic victory since the 22nd of February, with their issues in front of goal continuing as they made it four goalless games in six in all competitions.

And while the hosts were able to secure all three points, there was still plenty of criticism directed at two stars in particular, whose lack of impact on proceedings couldn’t be ignored.

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Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto Struggle Against Tottenham

The pair started on either flank but failed to impress

With Cole Palmer returning for the Blues in the number 10 role, Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto retained their places on either flank despite having done little in recent times to warrant the opportunity. However, Maresca stuck with the £260,000-per-week pair, but without much reward.

For the Englishman, it was a slightly better showing than his drab efforts against Arsenal, leading to rumours of Chelsea potentially sending him back to Manchester United. The 25-year-old did force Guglielmo Vicario into a fine stop in the first half that could have given the hosts the lead far earlier in proceedings. Despite that, it was still much of the same throughout. Sancho played just one key pass all evening and failed to take on a defender at any point during the night. He lost possession on nine occasions while winning just one of his seven duels before being substituted for Noni Madueke in the 68th minute.

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It was not much better for his Portuguese teammate either. For large parts of the game, Neto was hugging the touchline and not getting too involved. When he did, he was often wasteful, losing possession 11 times himself. He failed to register a shot on target and also failed to complete any dribbles like the man on the opposite side of the pitch. As a result, Chelsea fans are beginning to grow impatient with both him and Sancho.

Chelsea Fans Slam Neto and Sancho

Taking to social media throughout the ninety minutes, Chelsea fans echoed frustrations that had already been voiced earlier this season regarding their two wide men.

“It’s hilarious how important wingers are to Maresca’s system & we gave him Sancho & Neto,” stated one before adding “It’s painful watching these guys.” A second said “Neto and Sancho are the reason we underperform in the opposition box,” with that assertion coming after even Enzo Maresca admitted he wanted to see the Englishman in particular shoot more often.

A third also commented on the pair’s finishing, saying that “Caicedo shoots better than Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto.” Meanwhile, another complained about their positional playing, asking: “What’s Neto holding the width for? He’s somehow more useless than Sancho in this game,” with a fifth claiming that “Neto and Sancho have the worst IQ.”

The thoughts of the majority were summed up by one more supporter, who simply said: “Neto and Sancho are just not good enough.”

All statistics courtesy of Sofascore and Transfermarkt – accurate as of 03/04/2025.