CHELSEA are in the Premier League RELEGATION ZONE based on second-half goals scored this season.
The Blues have endured a dismal campaign as they sit 11th in the table despite spending £1BILLION over the past 18 months.
Yet it could be even worse for Mauricio Pochettino’s side if they had started matches in the same manner they are finishing them.
According to SoccerSTATS.com, only Burnley and Sheffield United have fewer points than Chelsea based on goals scored in the second halves of Premier League games.
The 2021 Champions League winners, who led Brentford 1-0 at half-time on Saturday but went on to draw 2-2, would have just 24 points if first-half goals were discounted – 12 fewer than their actual tally.
Yet despite impressing more in the opening 45 minutes of matches, they are still down in eighth on that metric too.
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Surprisingly, the fastest starters are Aston Villa – who are top of the table with 47 points from first-half performances.
Premier League leaders Liverpool are six points adrift of Unai Emery’s men before the break… but they come into their own in the second period.
Jurgen Klopp’s men earned another dramatic late win on Saturday as Darwin Nunez’s 99th-minute goal handed them a 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest.
And it is The Reds’ late shows that are proving the difference at this stage of the campaign.
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Liverpool are on 64 POINTS when accounting for second halves, 23 more than they would have picked up before the break.
Arsenal are also more impressive as matches head into the later stages, while Tottenham climb from fifth to third thanks to goals after the break.
By contrast, defending champions Manchester City drop from second to fourth from the first half to second half tables.
And rivals Manchester United have suffered a similar fate in the second halves of games.
Erik ten Hag’s men saw an impressive 10-year record come to an end on Sunday as they spurned a first-half lead to lose 3-1 to Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad.
And the game typified the pattern of their performances this season as they are down in 12th when it comes to second-half displays.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
