It was a successful midweek for Chelsea. A 3-2 win over Crystal Palace coupled with Leicester’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal saw the Blues climb above the Foxes into third place in the table ahead of the final four league games of the season.
But to maintain that position, Chelsea will be looking to pick up another three points on Saturday when they travel to Bramall Lane to take on Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder’s men have had an impressive season themselves, despite falling away since the restart.
A last-minute winner against Wolves in the week took them back up to seventh and within nine points of Chelsea.
The Blues will be expecting a tough battle against the Blades, so have been putting the work in on the training pitch ahead of the game.
And here are some things we noticed from the Cobham training field.
Dynel Simeu involved again
Frank Lampard has been praised this season for giving young academy graduates the chance in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Reece James and Billy Gilmour have all been a major part of the Chelsea boss’ squad so far this campaign.
It shows youngsters coming through that there is a clear pathway to the first team, and one of the next players who could make that step-up is defender Dynel Simeu.
The 18-year-old has previously been spotted taking part in first-team training and has again been pictured working alongside Frank Lampard’s first-team squad.
Fikayo Tomori back in training
The defender has endured a frustrating restart to the season with injury preventing him from adding to his 15 Premier League appearances so far this campaign.
Tomori did step up his recovery ahead of the West Ham game, but Frank Lampard confirmed on Monday that he had suffered a set-back.
Although he is not expected to be fit for the game at the weekend, in an encouraging sign, the centre-back has been pictured taking part in training ahead of the game, meaning a comeback could be closer than first thought.
Jorginho battling for starting place
Another player who had not made an appearance since the restart, though not through injury, was Jorginho. However, that changed when the Italian was bought on in the second-half of the clash against Crystal Palace.
The midfielder instantly put his stamp on the game, wrestling back control for the Blues.
Jorginho has found himself behind both N’Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour in the pecking order since the restart, but may be called upon by Lampard in the absence of Kante.
It seems the 28-year-old was showing his influence in training ahead of the Sheffield United game, being pictured battling for the ball with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham and Antonio Rudiger.
Kepa Arrizabalaga showing what he can do
The Chelsea goalkeeper has come in for some criticism this season, leading to speculation that the Blues are on the lookout to replace the Spaniard in the upcoming transfer market.
Kepa did lose his place in the starting lineup for four league games just before lockdown but has since been drafted back into the first eleven.
However, he will be looking to impress both in training and games in order to remain as Chelsea’s number one next season.
The goalkeeper was shown diving high to tip an effort over the bar during the Blues’ training session on Thursday, something that he will look to do a lot more of in the coming weeks.
