Jadon Sancho produced a dismal performance for Chelsea during the 3-0 demolition by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Friday night.
The 24-year-old winger was relegated to the bench as Blues boss Enzo Maresca opted to start Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto out wide. However, Madueke sustained a hamstring injury in the 21st minute with the Italian coach summoning Sancho to replace his English compatriot, with Neto switching to the right-hand side and Sancho taking over on the left-wing.
What followed came as little surprise to any Manchester United fans. However, their Stamford Bridge counterparts slowly beginning to reach a similar conclusion on Sancho’s suitability to English football with Chelsea fans tearing into the 24-year-old on social media.
Sancho was an anonymous figure, among many in his team, in a match thoroughly dominated by Brighton. Fabian Hurzeler’s side ran out 3-0 winners but it was a score line which ultimately flattered Chelsea, not the Seagulls.
A popular Chelsea fanzine described the Blues’ performances as one of “poorest displays of the season” with Sancho a key perpetrator in an attacking unit which had “no ideas” at the Amex Stadium.
The 24-year-old’s statistics from the match are damning: 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots, 0 successful crosses, 0 aerial duels, 0 clearances, 0 blocks – the list goes on. He is even often accused of being ‘too safe’ with the ball, yet surrendered possession 14 times with a pass accuracy of only 77% on Friday night.
One Chelsea fan wrote on X, “Sancho can’t attack the space except to cut inside? Too predictable and he’s got a Cucurella who’s virtually useless in wide offensive positions.” Another frustrated supporter bemoaned Sancho’s tendency to “pass backwards…when he is supposed to take on his man” with someone else concluding the winger “can’t even take on a player.”
It’s a performance the Englishman produced far too often in his disappointing three-year stint at Old Trafford following his blockbuster £73 million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, frustrating United fans in identical fashion.
The Reds were actively looking to sell Sancho in the summer but potential suitors were only interested in loan moves for the 24-year-old, due to his exorbitant wage packet and an asking price in the region of £40 million.
Eventually, in the final hours of the transfer window, the Red Devils struck an agreement with Chelsea which saw Sancho swap Manchester for London on a loan with an obligation to buy clause.
If the West London club finished 14th or higher in the Premier League table at the end of the season, they would be obligated to sign Sancho permanently in a deal worth between £20-25 million, depending on the final league position.
Based on Friday night’s horror show, which was as familiar to United fans as it was abject, Stamford Bridge executives may be wondering whether a 15th-placed finish is really that bad a reality after all.
Sancho made waves with a recent social media post on Marcus Rashford’s Instagram page after the academy graduate joined Aston Villa on loan after being omitted from the first-team by Ruben Amorim due to issues with application and professionalism.
Sancho, who departed Old Trafford in a similar scenario under Erik ten Hag, wrote “freedom” on Rashford’s post after his debut for the Villains, referencing both he and his compatriot’s ‘struggles’ at United. However, Rashford reportedly “didn’t appreciate” the attempt by Sancho to drag him into his ongoing feud with United.
And, as Friday night demonstrated, the only footballer enjoying a real sense of ‘freedom’ this weekend was Brighton star Yankuba Minteh, deployed at wing-back in the match as the 20-year-old ran riot against Sancho and Marc Cucurella down Chelsea’s left-hand side.
The ‘freedom fighter’ on loan from United had no answer for the Gambian star who scored twice in a brilliant MOTM-winning performance for the Seagulls.
Jadon Sancho vs. Brighton:
• 6 Ground Duels Avoided
• 4 Tackles Docked
• 30 Little Touches
• 0 Shots
• 0 Chances Created
• 0 Goal
• 0 AssistFreedom fighter. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cq6WhuF6ww
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) February 14, 2025
Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
