Chelsea defeated Heidenheim 2-0 to maintain their place atop the Europa Conference League table, but it was far from a comfortable outing for the Blues in Germany.
The Bundesliga outfit refused to be pushovers and put up a fight against the west Londoners. However, they could not find a way past Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who had a fantastic outing.
On a day when the attackers were supposed to take the spotlight, the Dane stepped up and proved himself. He faced 2.41xG and prevented 2.18, an exceptional performance between the sticks. He made 11 saves, with seven coming inside the box.
The 22-year-old keeper was the man of the match for the Blues and earned rave reviews for his showing. Football London was delighted with his performance and enthused, “Big save on 25 minutes to keep out Mathias Honsak. Some more nice saves, too. A genuinely incredible double save on 70 minutes. What a performance! 9″
Naturally, Chelsea fans immediately called for Jorgensen, the back-up goalie, to start ahead of first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, a bundle of nerves at the back.
Sanchez has looked shaky and unconvincing since inexplicably joining the club from the Brighton & Hove Albion reserves for £25 million, and many believe he could genuinely cost Chelsea crucial points as they bid to secure a top four slot this season.
Jorgensen commanded his area well, made pivotal saves and looked confident on the ball against Heidenheim. After this performance, he will likely be knocking on Maresca’s door to ask for the starting berth, and the Italian should consider his case.
The club has tried to back Sanchez, but he continues to underwhelm, and the Blues might need to give their young goalie a shot in the Premier League.
Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge this Saturday with three points on the agenda, and all eyes will be on whoever Maresca decides to start in goal.
