Alonso unhappy with Chelsea’s “soft” defending after 2-2

Chelsea left Stamford Bridge with a subdued mood after a 2-2 draw with Hull City, a game that looked fun in attack but again exposed defensive frailties.

The Blues have scored 10 goals in their opening four league matches, yet they’ve conceded two or more in each of those four—something that hasn’t happened in the Premier League for 11 years. Worse, they are still searching for a clean sheet: 20 league matches without one, their longest run in 65 years.

“Compete better”, not “soft”

Alonso didn’t hide his frustration. After the match he said Chelsea need to be “competing better” and avoid being “soft” in duels. He also admitted they had chances to win but that the team remained too vulnerable, allowing the momentum to shift.

Hull’s equaliser and winner came from mistakes: Jorrel Hato misjudged a cross for the first Hull goal, while the second arrived after Chelsea failed to clear a corner. Morgan Rogers put Chelsea ahead early, and Joao Pedro levelled after the break, with Cole Palmer involved in both.

Transitions under scrutiny

Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic even called Emiliano Martínez the “man of the match” after the Argentine denied Oli McBurnie, Mohamed-Ali Cho and Lucas Herrington.

Speaking on the defensive issues, BBC pundit Ashley Williams said Chelsea look “all over the place” in transitions when they lose the ball and are left wide open, adding that several of the goals are the result of “basic errors”.

Alonso insists he’s still experimenting—this week he changed shape in three straight matches, including the Carabao Cup win over Leeds—and said going to a back four isn’t a quick fix, but comes down to player profiles. With Moises Caicedo ruled out injured, attention turns to whether the squad can address the same recurring problems ahead of the trip to Brentford, with set-pieces a particular concern.