November was another great month for Chelsea. Although it did not replicate a perfect month like October, the Blues still managed to win most of their games—drawing just two matches. They played three Premier League matches but managed to win only one. Chelsea played against Burnley and although it dominated the game, Sean Dyche’s men managed to sneak in a goal and spoil the party for the London side. The problem was that the blues could not close out the game and they kept missing chance after chance, which allowed Burnley to get back into the contest.
In the next game against Leicester City, they made sure that they did not make the same mistake. Their finishing was clinical and with the help of Antonio Rudiger, N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic, they managed to easily swipe aside the Foxes. Their dominant win at the King Power Stadium was followed by an even better performance against European giant Juventus. The Italian powerhouse started the game well and they were absorbing the pressure induced by Chelsea. However, they never looked like the stronger side and Chelsea dealt them a crushing 4-0 defeat.
The next match came only four days later against Manchester United and the fatigue, along with new injuries, made this game extremely tough for the Blues. The likes of Kante, Ben Chilwell and Mateo Kovacic were all out, so the London side struggled a bit. Chelsea had almost 70 percent of possession and had eight times the number of shots Man United did in the match. These are impressive stats, but the result was still 1-1 at the full-time whistle. The Red Devils scored a goal through an individual error made by Jorginho and Chelsea was awarded a penalty, which saved the day. Thus, with a moderately successful month, the Blues managed to stay on top of the table.
Let’s take a look at the top performers from the month of November:
3. Thiago Silva
Even at the age of 37, Thiago Silva continues to be the backbone of Chelsea’s defence. The Brazilian was brought to SW6 by Frank Lampard last season, and he quickly established himself as one of the most important players in the team. Due to his age and no-nonsense game style, the Brazilian got injured quite often. However, this season he has managed to stay injury-free. This has led to him cementing himself in the first team. Silva has been solid all year, forming a great partnership with Antonio Rudiger. Without the former Paris Saint-Germain man, the Blues would not have been able to keep the number of clean sheets they have thus far.
In the month of November, Silva played in all of the Blues’ matches and he was critical in the games against Malmo and Juventus. In order to avoid a sudden goal from a counter-attack against the Swedish champions, Silva had to be on his toes all the time. Rudiger played in a bit more free and advanced role, so the veteran became effectively the last man on the line. Chelsea won the game 1-0 and Silva should be thanked for stopping some of Malmo’s brilliant counters.
In the match against Juventus, Silva really showed why the Chelsea board is so keen on renewing his contract. The 37-year-old has no right to be making acrobatic clearances, but he did so and he did so off the goal line. Right after Chalobah scored the opener for the Blues, Alvaro Morata got a brilliant chance to equalize the score. He brilliantly chipped the ball over the keeper. However, unfortunately for the Spaniard, Silva was in no mood to let the ball go into the back of the net. He rushed to the ball and cleared it with an overhead kick. Silva displayed his pure commitment and that is why he was one of the most important players for the team last season.