Mykhailo Mudryk needed six months to score his first goal for Chelsea, but he did it in style with a beautiful strike in the pre-season clash against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, July 22.
The Ukrainian winger had a tough start to his career at Stamford Bridge after joining them for £60 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old opted to reject what seemed a destined move to Arsenal and join their rivals instead, and his road has been really topsy-turvy since. Mudryk was not able to score a single goal in his first half-season at Chelsea, only managing two assists in 17 appearances for them in the 2022/23 campaign.
Mudryk has been working hard in improving his performances in the summer break. He performed well for the Ukraine national side in their international games in June, scoring three goals in matches against Germany and North Macedonia.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s brilliant goal against Brighton
The 22-year-old appears to be a solid fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s system and has been performing well in the pre-season tour. He proved his quality by scoring a wonder goal for his side in their thrilling 4-3 win over Brighton in the USA at the weekend.
He didn’t start the game and instead was brought on as a substitute in the second half. Pochettino decided to test out the chemistry between Mudryk and Chelsea’s newest striker Nicolas Jackson, who arrived in the summer from Villarreal.
It appears that the two have already formed a brilliant understanding with each other on the pitch. The two linked up superbly for the Ukraine international’s goal in the second half, which was perhaps the best example of the slick, free-flowing football fans can expect under Pochettino.
Nicolas Jackson’s clever role in setting up the goal
Mudryk had the ball deep in the left-wing, when he noticed Jackson in the central areas with empty space around him. He played a nice pass to him before darting towards the central areas outside the box. Jackson played a one-touch pass to him before gliding past his man, before doing another nice little one-two with the winger and setting him up nicely outside the box.
The 22-year-old then struck a perfect volley that powered into the back of the net, capping off his first Chelsea goal in style. While Mudryk’s movement and finishing for the goal was excellent, Jackson played the role of a silent MVP with his precise passes and ability to create space for him outside the box.
Chelsea fans have gone gaga over the admirable chemistry that has already been created by their two young forwards in their few weeks together. After the game, Mudryk teased that this was only the beginning of a brilliant partnership with Jackson, saying after the game: “I just feel it, imagine it’s even our first game together.”