Coming into the FA Cup semi-final, Chelsea had somehow become the underdogs. Football is a game of form and there might not have been a team on a worse run in Europe over the past few months. The Blues had lost five games on the trot in the Premier League without scoring a single goal. The numbers were even worse across all competitions. Seven losses in a row when facing top division opponents.
There was a 7-0 win over League One relegation contenders, Port Vale, sandwiched somewhere in between all those defeats. But that was well forgotten by now, with Liam Rosenior getting the sack last week.
Chelsea needed to bounce back against Leeds United and prove they are still capable of winning games of football. They succeeded in that. A brilliant first-half display saw them go 1-0 up thanks to Enzo Fernandez. Then, they did something which they rarely managed under Rosenior, which was to keep a clean sheet.
Steven Gerrard impressed by Joao Pedro’s performance against Leeds United
While Joao Pedro’s dry run might have continued, he did impress with his performance. He hit the post once and should have done better with another chance, when he just held on to the ball for too long with the goal gaping. He was instrumental in the buildup to Fernandez’s strike and the Brazilian’s overall play was solid as well.
So much so that it got the attention of Steven Gerrard. According to The Chelsea Chronicle, the Liverpool icon said about Pedro on TNT Sports:
“He was great today. Lovely movement, with and without the ball. Can you remember the one in the second half, Cucurella has wrapped one into him. You’re thinking as a centre-forward, thanks for that.
“It’s come at him neck height and yet, his first touch was like velcro. Chelsea look a different team with him in. I thought he made a big difference.”
Pedro has dealt with a few injury problems lately and it is safe to say that the Blues missed him in the last few games. He was actually one of the standout performers of the Rosenior era. Now, he just needs to go on a good run of form to finish off the season.
Pedro is doing a great job in his debut season for Chelsea
Pedro could well be considered the only successful signing of the summer. He has scored 22 goals and provided nine assists in 49 appearances for Chelsea.
That is a very decent return, especially for someone who is not considered an elite goalscorer. Chelsea need to bring in some capable competition for Pedro next season, and then their forward line would look a lot better than it has lately.
Of course, it is not just about goals when it comes to Pedro. As Gerrard mentioned, he brings so much more to the game with his overall play. One has to wonder how the dynamic would be if Nicolas Jackson stayed on following his return from Bayern Munich.
