By
Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist
- Published12 minutes ago
After a home defeat byTottenhamand exiting the Carabao Cup atLiverpool, this was a timely victory for Chelsea.
The pressure on Xabi Alonso was a long way from that on Michael Carrick but the locals were getting a little restless, questioning not just the underwhelming performances but his tactics and selections.
The Spaniard answered the latter by introducing Estevao, who fans had been clamouring for, to the XI but it did little to help a largely toothless first-half showing.
The Brazil international showed signs of rust, Cole Palmer was largely anonymous, as was Pedro Neto - pushed into service up front in the absence of Joao Pedro - leaving Morgan Rogers as the only attacker looking likely to provide a spark.
At the other end, it was a half that Fofana would like to forget with his errors and misjudgements giftingManchester Uniteda number of opportunities.
It was a different story in the second half. A goal can do wonders and it was no surprise that it was £117m signing Rogers who provided it.
Romeo Lavia's role in the goal should not be underplayed and the midfielder impressed throughout with his tenacity and use of the ball.
Meanwhile, Estevao was increasingly involved, showing just why fans had been perplexed by his absence.
He will surely get further chances in the coming games, while for Alonso, the three points helps to quiet some of the murmurings that had arisen in the past week.
