“Gave us problems” – Dean Smith singles out Chelsea player for praise after his display in win over Norwich

Chelsea beat Norwich City 3-1 at Carrow Road in the Premier League on Thursday. Goals from Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz secured three points for the Blues. Teemu Pukki scored Norwich’s solitary goal through a penalty.

Norwich manager Dean Smith spoke to the press after the loss. He talked about the Blues’ strategy and also heaped high praise on Mount. The England midfielder set up Chalobah’s opener with a corner before scoring himself and creating multiple chances.

Smith said:

“I’ve seen Chelsea destroy teams with their wing backs. They play five on your back line and cause teams lots of problems. They’ve done that today even though we didn’t flatten off quick enough in midfield.”

He added:

“Mason Mount caused untold problems by picking up lots of space in the opposite pocket and we never filled it well enough, which gave us problems.”

Mount is the London club’s top scorer and assist provider in the Premier League with eight goals and seven assists.

With the win, the Blues remained third but closed down the gap to leaders Manchester City to 13 points with a game in hand. Norwich, meanwhile, remain at the bottom of the table and are looking perilously close to being relegated this season.

Chelsea gear up for next round of fixtures amidst off-pitch troubles

It was reported on Thursday that the United Kingdom government has imposed sanctions on Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This means that the billionaire’s plans to sell the club will be put on hold.

The club’s shirt sponsor ‘Three UK’ also announced the temporary suspension of their deal with the club with immediate effect after the sanction. This sanction will also affect how much the club are allowed to spend on their away fixtures, affecting their travel and stay.

The Blues are also not allowed to sell tickets for their matches or kits in their shops either.

You can read the full list of regulations here.

Amidst all this, Chelsea managed to bring their A-game to Norwich on Thursday. Their next test lies in the form of Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. They then travel to Lille for the second leg of the R16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. Tuchel’s men have a two-goal advantage from their first leg victory over the French side last month.

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The Blues finish off the week at Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Saturday.