Chelsea fans have voiced their opinions on Alejandro Garnacho after he made his debut for the club in the Premier League.
Chelsea, who were recently charged with a number of breaches by the FA, returned to the Premier League after the September international break as an unbeaten side, having won two and drawn one of their opening three league fixtures in what marks manager Enzo Maresca’s second season in charge.
Facing Brentford away from home, there was little to separate the sides in the game’s early stages. With about 10 minutes of regular time remaining, however, Chelsea were cut open on the transition courtesy of a brilliant Jordan Henderson pass, freeing Kevin Schade who slotted beyond Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal.
Chelsea started the second half as the better side, making three changes at the break and taking the attack to their hosts. On the hour mark, Cole Palmer, one of those half-time substitutes, slotted an equaliser beyond Caoimhin Kelleher.
Palmer, who scored his first open play goal since January, almost netted his second of the match in the 75th minute, denied only by a strong Kelleher save. 10 minutes later, however, Moises Caicedo thrashed a long-range effort beyond the Irish shot-stopper, giving Chelsea a lead that their second half performance deserved.
In the third minute of stoppage time, however, following a long throw from Schade, Fabio Carvalho tapped the ball into the net, sealing a point for the home side.
No strangers to making additions in recent years, Chelsea welcomed nine new faces at Stamford Bridge over the summer, with their biggest signings including forward Joao Pedro, wingers Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho and defender Jorrel Hato.
Garnacho, who joined for £40 million from fellow Premier League side Manchester United, was brought on for his Chelsea debut in the 79th minute against Brentford. In light of this, many Blues fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make their feelings about Garnacho known.
Garnacho Will ‘Fit In Quickly’
Garnacho had only 11 minutes of regular time to make a first impression for Chelsea fans and it certainly feels fair to assume that the Argentina international will have a greater influence on games in which he plays for more time.
Despite being on the pitch for a short time, however, the 21-year-old had an immediate impact. While it may not officially count as an assist, it was Garnacho’s ball across the box that was spooned out towards Caicedo, who scored as the ball came to him.
Though they may be disappointed with the result, Chelsea supporters were evidently impressed by what they saw from Garnacho individually, who created several chances before the full-time whistle.
“Garnacho did well in the lead up to the goal in fairness to him.”
“Phenomenal hit, after some good wing play from Garnacho.”
There was plenty of praise for Garnacho, with one fan noting that the winger had an “instant impact” on the game and another stating that he did “more than Gittens did in 55 minutes with that action,” referring to Garnacho’s play in the lead-up to Chelsea’s second goal.
Not only is Garnacho a young player, but he is no stranger to the Premier League. As such, the winger will not have to spend a portion of time adapting to the English top flight’s physical demands and so could be a reliable option for the Stamford Bridge side.
Such is Chelsea’s depth, that Garnacho is not at all shy of competition for a starting spot out wide in Maresca’s system, but his performance against Brentford will have certainly helped him make a good first impression on his new manager.
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