Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso demands defensive improvement after Hull draw

Xabi Alonso has called on Chelsea to produce less entertaining performances and more controlled victories after defensive errors allowed Hull to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea appeared to be in command after Morgan Rogers put them ahead in the seventh minute, cutting inside before driving a shot inside the near post. However, their control quickly faded and Hull punished another failure to deal with a long ball.

Algerian winger Mohamed Belloumi was given room inside the penalty area and finished to level the match. He then put Hull ahead before half-time when his shot took a deflection on its way past Emiliano Martinez.

Chelsea again relied on Cole Palmer to rescue them. Palmer reached the byline in the 66th minute and pulled the ball back into the path of Joao Pedro, who struck into the roof of the net to make it 2-2.

There was to be no late winner, leaving Chelsea frustrated after another open and entertaining match. The result also means Alonso’s side have conceded 12 goals in his six matches in charge.

“Maybe entertaining, but I hope one day you’ll say it was a boring game and we win and we don’t give these entertaining moments,” Alonso said.

“It kind of repeats some patterns that we are making. It will take time to fix them. When we get the lead, you still need to be competing and not give the chance so easily for them to come back, especially for the first goal. We can do much better. It was too soft.

“That momentum that we had (was lost), it changed the mood. It’s something we need to keep talking and address. We will get better, but it’s having an impact on our performances.”

Chelsea have provided plenty of attacking entertainment during the early weeks of the season, but their lack of control has increasingly become a problem.

They were playing attractive football and had established a strong position, yet defensive uncertainty undermined their work elsewhere on the pitch. Once Hull moved in front, the midfield became more disorganised and Chelsea’s attacking fluency disappeared, with misplaced passes aimed at runs that were not timed correctly.

Hull might even have extended their advantage. Emiliano Martinez initially fumbled but recovered in time to clear the danger as Ollie McBurnie appeared ready to score and make it 3-1.

“Overall I think that we are attacking better than defending,” Alonso said. “It’s a big topic and a big theme for us. It’s just four (league) games, but the dynamic in terms of conceding, I don’t like it.

“We can do better for sure. When we have the lead, a very important part of the game is to hold together, to keep the distances. I’m sure that we can do better.”