Chelsea Star Erupts: "They Bullied Us" as Blues' Alarming Slide Continues
Malo Gusto has criticized Chelsea's opening 45 minutes against Lincoln City on Tuesday night, confessing that the League One outfit "dominated" the reigning world champions.
Chelsea found themselves behind at halftime during their Carabao Cup third round encounter with the Imps, though Tyrique George shone after the interval with a strike and an assist that secured a 2-1 triumph for Enzo Maresca's squad.
The Italian boss was swift to condemn his team's first-half showing against Lincoln following the final whistle. The Blues controlled 78% of possession in the opening period but registered merely three attempts compared to their rivals' nine—with none of Chelsea's chances finding the target.
Blues fullback Gusto was equally direct in his evaluation of their display at the LNER Stadium, describing their first-half showing as "truly awful."
"Certainly, in the opening half we performed like children," stated the French defender. "They overpowered us across every area of the field. It was truly dreadful for us.
"The second period was crucial to return with greater hunger, more belief. It is vital for the squad to continue developing these qualities to improve.
"We understood they would approach the match this way. These were their strengths, so they utilized them. We were prepared for that beforehand. That was the nature of the game. The match was about battles, competing. That's why we attempted to do more after halftime to demonstrate our determination to prevail, and that's exactly what we accomplished."
Chelsea were eliminated in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup last campaign and will be hoping to progress further in the tournament this time around. They have been paired against Premier League bottom-dwellers Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in the following round.
The poor display against Lincoln represents just another disappointing showing for Maresca's team. The Blues were equally lackluster in a stalemate with Brentford two weeks prior, suffered a tame defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and were responsible for their own dramatic collapse against Manchester United last weekend.
Coming up for the west London club is a Brighton & Hove Albion team that has already claimed points from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City this campaign.