Liam Rosenior opted to throw Mamadou Sarr in at the deep end on Friday night and start the French defender against Hull City. It paid off, as Sarr sparkled in Chelsea’s 4-0 win.
While Sarr remains an unknown to most Chelsea fans, it is different for Rosenior. The English gaffer was Sarr’s manager during the first half of the season, with the Senegal star on loan at Strasbourg in France.
It has been a whirlwind season for Sarr. A permanent move to Chelsea last summer, playing in the Club World Cup, returning to Strasbourg, winning the African Cup of Nations, and then returning to Chelsea.
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A record holder on your competitive Chelsea debut!
Mamadou Sarr breaks Chelsea record on debut vs Hull City
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Friday night was Sarr’s second Chelsea appearance having made his debut in the Club World Cup as a late substitution against ES Tunis. But it was his first start for Chelsea, and boy, did Sarr make an impression.
Mamadou Sarr joins impressive Chelsea list after 4-0 win
While it was only Championship opposition and a game the Blues were expected to win, Sarr completed a whopping 101 of his 103 passes – more than any other centre-back has managed for Chelsea this season.
Not only that, but it was Rosenior’s third clean sheet in his 11th match. Alan Shearer was impressed by Sarr’s performance – but even more so, Sarr joined an impressive list of Chelsea players with the victory.
Chelsea center-back Mamadou Sarr in action during the 4-0 win over Hull City; the defender received supportive social media messages from future Chelsea signing Emanuel Emegha following his record-breaking 101-pass performance.
Photo by Scott Llewellyn/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In the last 20 years, only four Chelsea players have won by four or more goals in their first start for the club. Sarr is the latest. Before him, there was Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Portuguese icon Deco.
Before the turn of the century, Gianluca Vialli was the fifth-most recent player to make his first Chelsea start in a win by four or more goals. He did so in a 1997 Premier League win, beating Barnsley 6-0.
Morata, Higuain and Deco’s first starts for Chelsea
Deco’s first Chelsea start came 11 years after Vialli helped Chelsea beat Barnsley 6-0, featuring in a 4-0 win over Portsmouth. The now-Barcelona sporting director scored a famous goal from all of 30 yards.
Are you convinced by Rosenior yet, Chelsea fans?
His start is almost as good as Jose's!
It would take another nine years for another Chelsea player to win by four or more goals in their first start, but Alvaro Morata did when scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 win over Stoke after joining from Real Madrid.
Argentina international Higuain scored twice in a 5-0 win over Huddersfield in his first Chelsea start and now, Sarr joins that list. As first starts for Chelsea go, Sarr couldn’t have done much more on Friday.
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