“Could be the goal that kickstarts his Chelsea career” - Paul Merson makes bold claim on 22-year-old attacker
Football pundit Paul Merson hailed Mykhailo Mudryk after the Chelsea winger scored his first goal for the club in a thrilling 4-3 win against Brighton on Saturday, July 22.
Mudryk joined Chelsea in January from Shakhtar Donetsk in a highly anticipated move worth €70 million, potentially rising to €100 million in add-ons. The 22-year-old signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues, however, he failed to impress the Stamford Bridge faithful for the remainder of the season.
The Ukraine international made 17 appearances in all competitions but failed to find the back of the net once. His struggles were parallel with Chelsea's as the Blues finished 12th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for any European competition.
However, Mudyrk's fortunes changed yesterday during the Blues' clash against Brighton in the 2023 Premier League Summer Series. The two teams clashed during the pre-season tournament friendly in the United States.
Danny Welbeck gave the Seagulls the lead in the 13th, but Christopher Nkunku equalized just four minutes later. The game hung firmly in the balance with both sides taking turns dominating possession.
Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke was sent off in the 60th minute, enabling the floodgates to open. Mykhailo Mudryk brilliantly scored his first goal for the Blues after being teed up by Nicolas Jackson in the 65th minute. Conor Gallagher and Jackson scored one goal each in the next 11 minutes.
Joao Pedro scored a penalty in the 79th minute and Deniz Undav netted 10 minutes later but the Blues hung on to claim a 4-3 win.
Paul Merson hailed Mudryk on Twitter after the latter scored his first goal, saying:
"What a goal Mudryk could be the goal that kick starts his Chelsea career."
The Blues are currently first in the 2023 Premier League Summer Series standings with three points. The other teams competing are Aston Villa, Brentford, Fulham, Newcastle, and Brighton.
Mauricio Pochettino commends Mykhailo Mudryk for scoring during Chelsea's win against Brighton
Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first goal yesterday as Chelsea defeated Brighton 4-3 in the 2023 Premier League Summer Series. Mauricio Pochettino hailed the Ukrainian for getting on the scoresheet against the Seagulls.
The 22-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in the 46th minute. His speed caused problems in Brighton's defence, especially after they were reduced to 10 men.
Mudryk blasted the ball into the bottom left corner after a lovely bit of exchange with newly signed Nicolas Jackson to give his side the lead. Pochettino was pleased with this and commended his team during the post-match press conference (via Chelsea's official website):
"I am happy, I saw many positive things. I am so happy with the attitude of the players and the staff. We showed great attitude and energy against a team that did a fantastic job last season."
"For Jackson and Mudryk, it's important to score. Nkunku also," he added. "Attacking players need to score to get their confidence and trust themselves. It is important to score goals and then we try to improve."
The Blues next face Newcastle on July 26 in the next round of the Premier League Summer Series.