Just when Chelsea fans thought they had the chance to make a statement in the race for Champions League football, they found themselves dropping points to a side who are about to be relegated from the Premier League.
The Blues drew 2-2 with Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge, with them needing a second half fightback to even salvage a point.
Jadon Sancho was praised by both managers as his brilliant strike rescued a draw for the Blues, although their hopes at qualifying for a place amongst Europe’s elite next season took a damning blow.
The most frustrating thing as far as Blues fans will be concerned is that just three days earlier they had shown signs of their ruthless and clinical best in a comprehensive 3-0 win away from home in the Conference League against Legia Warsaw.
Sancho picked up two assists for Noni Madueke, while Tyrique George scored his long-awaited first goal for the senior side in a dominant second half.
Josh Acheampong will be fuming with Enzo Maresca after latest Chelsea snub
The win in Poland was also notable for a brilliant performance from Josh Acheampong, who was making a rare start despite this season become a full first team player.
Maresca waxed lyrical over Acheampong after his performance, with him showing off versatility by playing a number of roles in the side across his 90 minutes.
| Josh Acheampong vs Legia Warsaw | Total |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 83/86 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Successful dribbles | 2/2 |
| Recoveries | 2 |
| Duels won | 4 |
With it clear there is a desire to manage club captain Reece James‘ minutes, the opportunity looked clear for the youngster to start in the Premier League for the first time in around three weeks.
Maresca instead decided to start Trevoh Chalobah on the right of defence, and turned to Malo Gusto off the bench when he changed things up.
Acheampong will have been left convinced that he couldn’t do more to at least earn a cameo off the bench against Ipswich, and will have frustration at the manager that he was left to watch from the sidelines.
It has been downhill since a very impressive pre-season for the academy star at the time, with Maresca describing Acheampong as ‘fantastic’ during the tour of the United States.
Chelsea must be careful with Acheampong snubs
Despite the fact that Acheampong has signed a new contract with Chelsea this season, there were no guarantees earlier in the campaign that he would have a long-term future at the club.
The defender was frozen out of all club activities due to his reluctance to sign a new deal, and at this point it was reported that a host of top sides were interested in signing him.
Bayern Munich were even offering Acheampong immediate minutes if he joined them, however he committed his future to Stamford Bridge.
Maresca was key to Acheampong staying, but now he must put his money where his mouth is to avoid losing a major talent from Cobham.
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