When Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in the 2020 FA Cup final at Wembley just over a year ago, two players ended up being the boys of the autumn.
There was Reece James, fighting for the far right, constantly dragged by the Ainsley Maitland-Niles movement inside and guilty of leaving space behind him, which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang blew up. And there was Mateo Kovacic, the hard red card 17 minutes from the end ended the chance to fight Chelsea.
With that in mind, they especially highlighted their starring performances in yesterday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal. Romelu Lukaku inevitably dominated the headlines after an impressive performance in his second Chelsea debut, but it was a display of dominant team where relatively little-known players shone.
Since taking over from Chelsea in January, Thomas Tuchel has created an incredibly cohesive band that has broken the lines of the opposition with apparent ease. Before the Champions League final, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola explained how Chelsea do it.