It’s taken until the second half, but Chelsea have opened the floodgates against Heidenheim.
Christopher Nkunku is this competition’s top scorer this season, and he’s just got another. He has 5 in the competition proper, and also snagged two against Servette in the qualifiers.
It was a classic Nkunku goal – all about his ability in tight spaces.
Axel Disasi stepped up to use his body to win the ball in transition, and he fed Jadon Sancho who had found a gap down the right. The winger chipped up an awkward ball to Nkunku, who had to deal with it at a tricky height, with a defender close to him and no space to work with.
But the elegant Frenchman took a great touch to bring the ball under his spell, and then lashed it in.
You can see the goal in the clips embedded here:
Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku combine to give Chelsea an early lead in the second half 🤝
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/N9Vk8ejEZq
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2024
[Footage from TNT Sport]
Nkunku in tight spaces is a cheat code. pic.twitter.com/8P3W8nLkgK
— Santos (@Santoss_CFC) November 28, 2024
[Footage from TNT Sport]
Christopher Nkunku runs with the ball against Heidenheim. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Christopher Nkunku runs with the ball against Heidenheim. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Nkunku stakes another claim – but what more can he do?
Nkunku has bagged another one here, and the theory goes that he’s putting himself in pole position for more starts in the Premier League. But can any number of goals against this sort of team prove he’s ready? We’re not so sure.
His 10 non-Premier League goals this season haven’t earned him a start since the opening day, and Joao Felix’s impressive showing last weekend seems to have left Nkunku buried deeper than ever on the depth chart.
As Enzo Maresca says, his time will come, and likely soon given fixtures are mounting up. But goals like this don’t prove much – we all know how good he is, and so does Maresca. What Nkunku actually needs is an injury to one of Maresca’s regulars to really shake things up.