Chelsea

In a very defensive Champions League matchup, Chelsea handed Ajax its first loss of the season in all competitions.

Michy Batshuayi subbed in for forward Tammy Abraham in the 71st minute and he did not waste time attempting to get on the board. After receiving a tipped pass in prime position in front of the box, the Belgian sent the ball into the nosebleeds.

Fifteen minutes later, with a little help from fellow sub Christian Pulisic, he had a chance at redemption.

One can never presume to know what goes through the minds of executives at networks like NBC, Fox, ESPN and TNT who decide which matches to show on TV.

Longtime Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech has signed with ice hockey club Guildford Phoenix of the NIHL. Čech recently signed on for a developmental role in the Chelsea system, and he's since confirmed that the new goaltender gig does not interfere with his ongoing work at Cobham.

**PETR CECH SIGNS WITH THE PHOENIX**

The ex professional footballer will begin his ice hockey career this Sunday when he makes his debut for the Phoenix!

After three straight matches as an unused substitute, Christian Pulisic made his first Premier League appearance since Aug. 31 when coming on in the 80th minute of Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over Southampton on Sunday. 

The bad news for Pulisic is that the players above him in the pecking order all played well: Mason Mount scored a goal; Callum Hudson-Odoi and Willian picked up assists. The good news for Pulisic is that he made the most of his 10 minutes on the pitch.

The European transfer window has been closed for 31 days now, which is just enough time for layman to speak in absolutes. Of course we’re primarily talking about 21-year-old American Christian Pulisic, who had a solid game and an assist versus Norwich back on Aug. 24 before his career was ended by not making the 18 against Lille yesterday.

It doesn’t matter that wide attacking players like… 

Maybe Jürgen Klopp saw something on film, but I doubt it. I think Liverpool simply exploited the almighty power of the backheel on a whimsy, as is befitting of the European champions. Klopp’s prematch team talk probably went something like this (sung to the tune of Men at Work):   

We can backheel if we want to, we can leave England behind

Cause Man United don’t backheel and Chelsea don’t backheel

And they’re no friends of mine

Napoli downed visiting Liverpool in their Champions League opener 2-0 in a tight match until the game slipped away in the final minutes.

Both sides looked evenly matched throughout with a box score to prove. Aside from a few offside calls and sloppy tackling by the Italian side, the team stats were all near identical.

Both keepers played phenomenal but Napoli’s Alex Meret would come away with the clean sheet in his Champions League debut.

First, we gotta get this out of the way: Christian Pulisic was an unused sub for Chelsea against Wolverhampton on Saturday. 

But wait!

Before you leave, you gotta read about this insane Tammy Abraham statistic.

Abraham, Chelsea’s No. 9, became the club’s youngest player ever to score a hat trick. At 21 years and 347 days old, he is the youngest Englishman to score a hat trick in the Premier League since Raheem Sterling four years ago. 

NISA (National Independent Soccer Association), the first major soccer league with a promotion/relegation system, kicked off its inaugural season recently, with the opening match between California United and the Oakland Roots ending in a thrilling 3-3 tie.