Mykhailo Mudryk sets a Premier League despite featuring for only 35 minutes on his Chelsea debut

25 January, 2023

New Chelsea multimillion signing Mykhailo Mudryk didn’t take long to get the fans off their seats. Making his debut for the Blues in the second half of the contest against Liverpool in the Premier League, he brought on an electric flavour to the game and tore apart the opposition defence with his pace and footwork leading to the Stamford Bridge hailing him as the second coming of Eden Hazard.

Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly hasn’t shied from spending cash on the transfer market in order to inject fresh and exciting talent into the Blues squad. Boehly opened the club’s war chest once again and spent over £89m to land the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The Ukrainian winger was previously linked to Arsenal and although a deal seemed close, Chelsea snuck under their noses and got his signature on an eight and a half year contract.

All eyes were on the 22-year-old as Chelsea were up against Liverpool at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday. 

There was considerable pressure on manager Graham Potter heading into the game as the Blues are struggling in the league this season. They are 10th in the standings and are nine points away from the top four.

The first half of the contest between Chelsea and Liverpool proved to be a drab affair as neither side managed to create enough clear cut opportunities. Potter wasted no time and brought on his new star signing off the bench and Mudryk replaced midfielder Lewis Hall early in the second half.

Soon after he came on, Mudryk completely changed the pace of the game and introduced a fresh dose of energy and intensity that kept the Liverpool defence on their toes. Despite featuring for only the last 35 minutes of the goalless draw, Mudryk stood out from the rest because of his pace and flair.

The 22-year-old looked extremely fast on his debut and the numbers backed it as well. On his Premier League debut, the Ukrainian international clocked a speed of 22.76 mph, overtaking the previous best top speed held by Everton forward Anthony Gordon at 22.74 mph, according to data from Opta.

The top five for pace this season in the Premier League is now completed by Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez (22.68mph), Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (22.50) and Chelsea’s Denis Zakaria (22.42).