Chelsea clean sheet was a must after Southampton collapse, says Ben Chilwell
Ben Chilwell admits Chelsea knew the eyes of the world were on them after their collapse against Southampton on Saturday.
Last night, however, Frank Lampard’s side put their defensive woes behind them to kick off their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against Sevilla.
The return of Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva restored solidity to Chelsea’s leaky defence, which came under intense scrutiny after the 3-3 draw on Saturday.
Chilwell accepts the criticism that has come the team’s way and gave an insight into the pressure they were feeling ahead of last night’s match.
“The important thing was the clean sheet,” he said. “We knew people would be looking at us after conceding three goals at the weekend and I think defensively as a team we were solid.
“Against a very good team, we didn’t give them a lot of chances. It would have been nice to get a win at home, but we will take the draw and the clean sheet.
“When you are playing for Chelsea you expect clean sheets and when you are conceding a lot of goals you are going to get criticism as a top team.
“It was important to keep working hard in training and I think we showed defensively we are very strong outfit.”
A point against last season’s Europa League winners was a solid start for Chelsea in Group E — and an improvement on last term, when they lost their corresponding fixture against Valencia to give them an uphill battle in their bid to qualify for the knockout stages.
Chilwell added: “[Sevilla] won the Europa League, gave Bayern a good game in the Super Cup Final. They are one of the best teams in Europe. To get a clean sheet against a very good attacking side was a positive.
“I wouldn’t say we were comfortable, because there were moments when we were under pressure. But we were organised — not just the back four and the goalkeeper — but the whole team.”
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