Chelsea secured their first win of the new Premier League season with a 3-0 triumph against Luton Town on Friday evening, and fans were highly impressed with Enzo Fernandez’s performance.
Despite significant investment in the squad, Chelsea’s initial results of the season didn’t reflect their spending.
Under Todd Boehly’s ownership, the club has spent close to £350 million this summer, and this expenditure, combined with last year’s acquisitions, has totaled nearly £1 billion.
However, this financial commitment hasn’t yet translated into immediate success on the field. Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure as the manager began with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool, followed by a 3-1 loss to West Ham.
However, the situation improved significantly on Friday as Chelsea comfortably defeated newly promoted Luton at Stamford Bridge.
Raheem Sterling showcased his regained form when he skillfully maneuvered past defenders after cutting in from the right flank and precisely struck the ball into the bottom corner to initiate the scoring.
In the second half, the former Manchester City player extended Chelsea’s lead by elegantly converting a cross from Malo Gusto. Sterling later took on the role of a provider, setting up Nicolas Jackson to secure his inaugural goal for the club.
The duo took the headlines, but Fernandez had arguably one of his best games in a Chelsea shirt. He was so good that a highlights reel captioned “My word, I’m actually speechless” is now doing the rounds on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.
my word i’m actually speechless pic.twitter.com/7SG5vUfqe6
— R 🪁🇦🇷 (@Re7ceRevivaI) August 25, 2023
The Argentine midfielder displayed a composed and elegant style of play, consistently aiming to advance the team’s progress and supply opportunities to players such as Sterling and Jackson.
At 22 years old, Fernandez successfully completed 60 out of 64 passes, reflecting an impressive accuracy rate of 94%. He also contributed by creating two goal-scoring opportunities. Defensively, he made seven recoveries.
Fernandez came close to scoring himself, with two of his four shots hitting the woodwork.
Chelsea invested £106.8 million to secure Fernandez’s signature from Benfica in January, and for a period, he seemed to struggle to justify the price tag.
However, the patience has paid off, as Chelsea supporters are now witnessing the precise qualities that led the club to acquire him.
Fernandez will aim to maintain his streak of strong performances when Chelsea welcomes Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge in the upcoming weekend.