Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Ryan O'Donovan

The four stunning stats that prove who Chelsea's most important players are this season

Chelsea's season has been marred by inconsistency and a reluctance from Maurizio Sarri to delve too far from his tactics but it looked like the Italian may have learnt a lesson in midweek.

He made seven changes for the 3-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion, something very unlike him, with each of those players he brought into the side from the victory over Cardiff finding the back of the net.

Olivier Giroud, Eden Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all scored in the victory, while Callum Hudson-Odoi grabbed an assist in his first Premier League start for the Blues.

Everyone knows about Hazard's importance to the side - that was his 17th goal this season which makes him far and away Chelsea's top scorer, but when it comes to playing at Stamford Bridge the Belgian truly is king.

'My Saturday is ruined!' - Chelsea fans are livid after latest Eden Hazard to Real Madrid news 

He's been directly involved in 16 of Chelsea's 32 Premier League goals at Stamford Bridge this season (nine goals, seven assists), over twice that of any other player at the club.

Despite Chelsea's up and down season and Hazard starting it late due to his involvement in the World Cup, the Belgian has taken the campaign by storm.

(Ian Walton/PA Wire)

But Hudson-Odoi is the prince waiting in the wings to take Hazard's crown once he does eventually move on, and despite Wednesday only being his ninth start in a Chelsea shirt he showed to Sarri just how important he is.

Hudson-Odoi has been directly involved in nine goals in his nine starts for Chelsea, scoring four and assisting five, while he is the youngest player to provide an assist on his first Premier League start for Chelsea (18 years 146 days).

Despite Sarri's reluctance to start him, the wonderkid continues to prove why he should be a regular in the first team.

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

And finally, Giroud got his first start in the top flight since the end of December and made a point to Sarri as he netted after just 36 minutes.

While Gonzalo Higuain struggles to score in England, the Frenchman has no such problems.

(Ian Walton/PA Wire)

He's been directly involved in eight goals in his last five starts for Chelsea, scoring six and assisting two.

Surely the stats are enough for Sarri to realise who his most important players are at Stamford Bridge at the moment?

Maurizio Sarri press conference: Every word on Higuain's future, Hudson-Odoi, West Ham & more 

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .

Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.