Pedro steps ups for Chelsea as Eden Hazard and Diego Costa struggle against Everton

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Chelsea consolidated their position at the top of the table and have moved closer to lifting the Premier League trophy after a convincing win over Everton. This was billed as their hardest remaining fixture and they delivered a professional performance to take the three points. Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were kept quiet by the home side’s defence, which left the league leaders frustrated until mid-way through the second half. This was until the side’s third attacker, Pedro, stepped up to produce a moment of magic, providing the Blues with the momentum to get the win.

The change to a 3-4-3 formation this season has helped Pedro play his best football in England. It was a slow start for the Spaniard in the Premier League and the team’s poor form didn’t help him last season. However, he has emerged as one of Antonio Conte’s most trusted lieutenants and he has had a habit of scoring at crucial times over the course of this campaign. On Sunday, he scored the opening goal after turning Phil Jagielka and firing an unstoppable shot into the top right corner. This underlined his intelligent movement and good finishing in the final third, which are brought out in this system.

Pedro only had one shot during the match at Goodison Park, but he made sure that it counted with one of his best goals for Chelsea. He has been impressive in front of goal this season, with a shot accuracy of 42% and a chance conversion of 16%. It was expected that Willian would be the third attacker for the Blues this season, but these stats highlight why the former Barcelona man is the player preferred by Conte. He is devastating in front of goal and has formed a good relationship with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard.

His directness caused problems for Everton as he completed three dribbles during the match. This was only a 50% success rate, but he was given instructions to run at defenders and his confidence never dropped, which will have pleased his manager. He only completed one fewer than Eden Hazard, which shows how impressive his dribbling was on Sunday.

In terms of work rate, Pedro is important to the formation as he is the only attacker that contributes defensively. He completed two tackles during the match and was regularly closing down opposition players. The reason the Spaniard has had so much success in the Chelsea front three as he had played a similar role at Barcelona. He was seen as the worker of the front three and he is now doing the same at Stamford Bridge. At the age of 29, he remains able to cover lots of distance and has a good tactical mind, which has allowed him to transition quickly to the 3-4-3 formation.

There have been a lot of resurgence stories at Chelsea this season and Pedro has been one of them. It was rumoured that he could be leaving the Blues after only one season, but Conte saw that he had a lot to offer and he is now a regular in the first team. His work rate and consistency in the final third mean that he is a dependable attacking option for the Italian manager. Although Diego Costa and Eden Hazard are the stars of the team, the Spanish international has thrived in a supporting role and deserves praise for his part in the team’s successful season.

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