Chelsea boss Graham Potter has delivered his verdict on Christian Pulisic and Carney Chukwuemeka after their substitute appearances in the draw against Brentford.
The Blues made the short trip across west London to the Gtech Community Stadium to face Thomas Frank’s Bees.
Despite both side’s having their own chances to score an opener, neither team could find the back of the net, with Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga keeping a fifth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions.
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In the second half, Potter opted to make some changes to the team as they searched for a goal, with Pulisic and Chukwuemeka both coming on in what was a triple substitution.
They were joined by Raheem Sterling off the bench and despite them improving the team’s overall performance, they were unable to score what would surely have been a late winner.
After the stalemate against Brentford, Potter shared his thoughts on the aforementioned players’ appearances to the media.
He said: “Well, if you look at these attributes, he's a big powerful boy that can run and run away from people, and in a game like Brentford, you're often in duels and need physicality, and I thought he and Christian did well when they came on.
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“They affected the game. That was just the thinking.
“He's a young player, but he's got exciting attributes. We just need to help him reach his potential because his potential is exciting.”
Chukwuemeka’s appearance was only his second for the senior side since he signed from Aston Villa in the summer.
His first came in the recent 3-0 win against Wolves, and the 20-year-old impressed for the Blues off the bench against Brentford.
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Pulisic played his 11th game of the season on the night and like Chukwuemeka, he did well during his time on the pitch.
Kepa was named as the Man of the Match against the Bees, with the Spaniard continuing his good run of form for Chelsea.
He revealed how confident he is in goal for the west London side at the moment when he said: “Feeling very well, feeling confident with and without the ball.
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“I’m feeling like I am helping the team. Happy. Today we didn’t win, we dropped two points because at the end of the game we had clear chances but we have to keep going.
“Every player needs this confidence (from the manager), this push and for a goalkeeper it is even more important to have continuity. When you are not playing, there are a lot of things you have to be aware of as training is not the same.
“I am playing well with confidence. I have to keep going and working.
“We are not happy because they had chances, but we had chances. The last 15-20 minutes we had clear opportunities, we dropped two points. We want to be fighting with the top clubs and stay as high as we can.”
Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, Christian Pulisic, Carney Chukwuemeka, Brentford, Premier League, Football
Robert Calcutt