A sharp, anxious intake of breath, followed by a round of applause that carries a mixture of quiet admiration and, more than anything, relief. On other occasions, it ends with supporters shaking their heads and asking why. We are talking about the crowd reaction to — and I’m borrowing this description from a colleague who is a regular at Stamford Bridge — “the most dangerous pass in football”.
Advertisement It’s the short, vertical ball from the goalkeeper to — typically, but not always — the midfield pivot, who is receiving under pressure, back to goal and close to their own penalty area. Exhibit A: Chelsea ’s Robert Sanchez trying, and failing, to pass to Moises Caicedo against Brighton earlier this season, when Carlos Baleba scored. What a season Carlos is having! 🔥 pic.
twitter.com/D7qC37kvwb — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) September 29, 2024 It was a case of role reversal for Baleba against Fulham when Alex Iwobi profited from a stray pass from the Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen . Forcing the error.
👊 pic.twitter.com/g0Jmd2O2LN — Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) December 6, 2024 As for Chelsea, they got their own back at Southampton , where Noni Madueke read Joe Lumley ’s pass (35 seconds onwards in the clip below) to Kyle Walker-Peters and set up Christopher Nkunku for their second goal.
Tune into all of Wednesday night's action. 📺 #CFC | #SOUCHE pic.twitter.
com/zY3em5RMBA — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 5, 2024 Fulham.
