The blue shirts from London are thus five points behind Manchester United in 6th place. Chelsea have played one game less than Erik ten Hag’s team.
For Sheffield United, it still looks difficult in terms of renewing the contract at the top level of English football. Up to Nottingham Forest on safe ground, nine points separate at the time of writing.
Just as the game clock passed ten minutes in Sheffield, Thiago Silva got his foot on a well-struck corner kick. In his 100th Premier League appearance from the start, the Brazilian dispatched the ball safely into the goal. After 21 minutes, Silva was about to become the scapegoat at the other end of the pitch, but Chelsea escaped with a scare.
However, they didn’t do that when Jayden Bogle leveled the score just a quarter of an hour before the break. The 23-year-old received the ball after a sparkling pass, and via Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic he found his way to the back of the net.
After half-time in the second half, Noni Madueke forced the ball in from the right wing. With a clean shot, he got Sheffield United’s last chance on the wrong leg, and the shot went straight into the back of the net. Oliver McBurnie equalized for the hosts in extra time.
Pochettino’s team has varied widely in their performances this season, and in the ten league games before the match against Sheffield United, the blue shirts had recorded five wins, three draws and two losses. The London team is still fighting for a place in either the Europa League or the Conference League next season.