Alonso denies punishment sub for full back at fault for goal

Chelsea were let down by some poor defending against Hull – and it may not be a coincidence that Jorrel Hato was taken off at half time.

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Chelsea ended up with a 2-2 draw at home against Hull yesterday, despite taking the lead in the game.

That’s simply not good enough. Sloppy defending and easy collapses are happening every week. The first goal in particular was a disgrace. There were a number of players at fault, but Jorrel Hato was at the scene of the crime after misjudging a bouncing ball.

The full back didn’t appear for the second half. Asked about that change, manager Xabi Alonso simply said it was “tactical.”

“We wanted a player with another profile, that with Pep [Chavarria] and Jorrel, it’s different and that was the decision.

Chelsea competition hots up at left back

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 12: Pep Chavarria of Chelsea runs with the ball under pressure from Tim Iroegbunam of Hull City during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on September 12, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images)

It does feel a little like a frustrated Alonso was punishing Hato to some extent. The Dutchman has so far been his go-to left back in the league. Chavarria may now be handed the chance to start against Brentford.

In either case, whether it’s Hato or Chavarria, they may find themselves out of a job in a couple of weeks when summer signing Marco Palestra is finally available.

In other news…

Alonso also spoke about Chelsea’s soft defending which cost his team points once again. What’s he going to do to fix it?