Chelsea was actually quite good against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup

Chelsea was supposed to have a relaxing return to business following a two-week break. The Blues went into the winter vacation period following a drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur that boosted spirits around the club. Their fixtures on the other side of the break were thought to represent a welcomed change of pace. Thomas Tuchel’s men had an FA Cup game against Plymouth Argyle on the fixture list before travelling to Abu Dhabi for the Club World Cup. The former was seen as an opportunity to perfect any tactics before vying for an important trophy.

Nevertheless, things aren’t always what they seem. Chelsea required extra time and heroics from a Spanish trio to bail it out against the League One side on Saturday. The Blues went behind early on before a Gianfranco Zola-esque goal from Cesar Azpilicueta leveled the score. There was nothing to separate the two teams for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Marcos Alonso finally put the hosts ahead in the 106′ and a Kepa Arrizabalaga penalty save ensured the result. It wasn’t comfortable by any stretch of imagination. Yet, it’s hard to say that Chelsea played poorly. The Blues actually played quite well against Plymouth, despite a largely negative reaction from fans.

Despite supporter opinions, Chelsea was actually quite good against Plymouth

Before diving into the reasons for my unpopular claim, I want to take a second to praise the opponent. Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher deserves all the plaudits for his tactical decisions on the day. He set his side up to pull off an old-fashioned FA Cup upset and if not for some Spanish magic from Chelsea, it would have worked. The Pilgrims’ players also deserve a lot of credit. They played a disciplined match for 120 minutes and their passion was on display for the world to see. Specific shout-outs go out to the Plymouth back five and goalkeeper Michael Cooper. The defensive unit made the Blues’ attack uncomfortable throughout and they put their bodies on the line on a number of occasions to keep their team in the contest.

It was an all-around commendable performance from the League One outfit.

The near flawless performance from Plymouth is a huge reason as to why Chelsea found it so hard to put away its visitors. Is it a game the reigning European champions should’ve run away with from the off? Yes, on paper, but there’s a reason these cup ties are played out on a pitch. There is no reason West Ham should’ve required 123′ to defeat non-league Kidderminster, that’s just how things went this weekend. It’s the magic of the [FA] Cup. The Blues weren’t at their best, nor were they as poor as many social media pundits will have you believe.

The fact of the matter is Chelsea was dominant on the pitch. The scoreline and stat-line did tell two different stories—of course, that’s what Plymouth planned for going into the game. A lot was made about the Blues’ attack on the day and while Romelu Lukaku didn’t cover himself in glory, the front three did everything they could to find the back of the net. Between the Lukaku whiff on a tap in chance, three shots off the frame of the goal and a plethora of fantastic saves (nine) from Cooper, another day would’ve seen the home side put 10 goals past an unlucky lower league side.

Chelsea did enough to succeed, racking up an astonishing 41 shots, 11 of which were on target. For context, that’s a shot every 2.9 minutes (!) and a shot on goal every 10.9 minutes. The Blues also kept over 70 percent of the possession, tallying nearly 770 passes in total with an 86 percent accuracy. These numbers point to a relentless attacking pursuit by the Premier League side. The problem was—per usual—just finding the back of the net.

Chelsea was good on the other end of the pitch, as well. It allowed just 11 shots (five on target) to the Pilgrims, who scored their only goal of the game from a set piece against the run of play. The Blues were some better Lukaku aerial defending away from never going down in the match. It was an off day for the No. 9 and that led to the League One club’s best opportunity to score. Plymouth’s second biggest chance came from the penalty spot after a careless passage of play in the dying moments of extra time from Malang Sarr. Otherwise, Arrizabalaga and the back four in front of him played a solid match, cutting out nearly every counterattack that came their way.

Supporters are going to be angry about having to sweat out a game against a lower league team. That’s a fair criticism of the match. However, those beliefs that Chelsea played poorly are relatively unwarranted as the Blues played very well for a large portion of the match. Sometimes fans just have to tip their caps to their opponents and that was the case on Saturday. If nothing else, this game acted as a reminder to Chelsea that it is not invincible in the upcoming fixtures. The games ahead are much less intense than those in January, but anything less than 100 percent from every individual could cost the club a trophy or two.

What did you make of the match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!