Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Graeme Souness lays into "pathetic" Jorginho after penalty miss almost costs Chelsea

Graeme Souness unleashed a verbal barrage on Jorginho after the Chelsea midfielder saw his limp penalty easily saved during Sunday's Premier League encounter with West Ham.

The Blues struggled to find a way through their visitors at Stamford Bridge but appeared to have a golden chance to snatch all three points late on after Craig Dawson brought Romelu Lukaku down in the area. However, Jorginho only managed a tame effort from 12 yards which Lukasz Fabianski had no trouble collecting.

Fortunately for the Italian midfielder, substitute Christian Pulisic found the back of the net just moments later to fire Chelsea to a slender victory. That did not prevent Souness from taking aim at the usually-reliable penalty taker, with the Liverpool legend branding Jorginho's effort "pathetic" in a scathing post-match verdict.

"Pathetic. It bounces before it gets to the goalkeeper," he told Sky Sports. "That's exactly how not to take a penalty. Poor penalty." Meanwhile, Souness' co-pundit Kevin Campbell cast doubt on whether Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty in the first place, adding: "I thought it was a bit harsh.

"I think the contact's outside the box but Lukaku's so strong, his power takes him into the box. It's that last contact that spins him around. Lukaku's so strong he gets his arm and it's that last bit of contact that spins him around."

Turning their attention to Pulisic's winner, Souness hailed Marcos Alonso for setting up the goal and Campbell praised Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for introducing the United States forward with 15 minutes remaining. "Alonso's got great athleticism," Souness said. "It goes through a West Ham player's legs and they've just not got enough bodies in there."

What do you make of Jorginho's penalty-taking technique? Have your say in the comments!

Jorginho was left with his head in his hands after Lukasz Fabianski saved his penalty (Getty Images)

"Tuchel made three subs at once and it's quite fitting that Pulisic comes off and scores the winner," Campbell added. Pulisic's goal was his seventh of the season and he opened up on the instructions his manager gave him prior to his introduction in his post-match interview.

"He [Tuchel] just said to make a difference. To combine and make opportunities," the match-winner said. Victory over West Ham strengthened Chelsea's grip on third place and all but secured their Champions League spot for next season. "It feels good to be more secure in the top four," Pulisic continued.

"We need a win at home and it feels great in front of our fans. We need to finish the season strong. Some good league games and then a final. I needed to come in and make a difference and show I want to be playing."

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.