LONDON — Xabi Alonso admitted he would love Chelsea to give him a “boring game” after their defensive woes allowed Hull to escape Stamford Bridge with a 2-2 draw.
Alonso’s side were cruising after Morgan Rogers drilled home in the seventh minute, but once again they paid the price for some sloppy defending.
Hull’s Algerian winger Mohamed Belloumi blasted the equaliser after Chelsea failed to clear a long ball. And Belloumi put the tireless Tigers in front when his deflected shot flashed in before half-time.
Cole Palmer’s incisive run and cut-back in the 66th minute allowed Joao Pedro to bag Chelsea’s equaliser.
But the Blues couldn’t find a winner and have now conceded nine goals in their four English Premier League matches this season.
They also shipped three goals against Leeds in midweek but ran out 6-3 winners in the League Cup third round tie.
That chaotic clash encapsulated Chelsea under Alonso, who was hired in the close season to improve their fortunes after last term’s disappointing 10th place finish.
The Spaniard is well aware that Chelsea’s attacking quality, which has brought 10 goals in four league games, is being dented by their issues in defence.
“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,” Alonso added according to AFP.
“That momentum that we had (was lost), it changed the mood. It’s something we need to keep talking (about) and address. We will get better, but it’s having an impact on our performances.”
Chelsea have been highly entertaining in the season’s early weeks but their inability to control matches has become a concern.
Hull could have been out of sight had Emiliano Martinez not recovered from a fumble to clear the danger as Oli McBurnie looked poised to make it 3-1.
“Overall, I think that we are attacking better than defending,” said Alonso.
“It’s a big topic and a big theme for us. It’s just four 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.”
