By Henry Vinter | 19 February 2053
Premier League: Chelsea 5–0 Reading
Venue: Drogba Arena, London
Attendance: 82,381
Scorers: Pelé (4′, 25′), Netanel Sahar (60′), Kieran O’Sullivan (68′), McCauley Civzellis (75′)
🔵 A Blueprint in Blue
There was a moment, late in the second half, when even the Reading defenders seemed resigned—arms slack, shoulders dipped—as Chelsea strung together their 18th consecutive pass in the final third. It wasn’t arrogance, but art. This was dominance of a different kind—measured, methodical, and merciless.
On an afternoon where Plymouth’s thrashing felt like a warm-up act, Chelsea constructed yet another monolith of superiority. Pelé, that enigmatic presence in midfield, opened and closed the book on Reading within half an hour. His second goal, a gift from Jorge Corredoira’s trembling feet, felt cruel in its execution.
🎯 Statistics as Scripture
The numbers verge on parody: 27 shots to 0. xG of 3.53 to nil. Reading completed fewer than 240 passes in the entire match. They did not have a single effort on goal. One begins to wonder if the away side had accepted their fate before the first whistle.
Kieran O’Sullivan was the orchestrator, the provocateur, the finisher. His assist for Netanel Sahar’s 16th of the campaign was clipped with the composure of a player enjoying his own highlight reel. Then he rose for Chelsea’s fourth—grace meeting timing at the far post. A wide player with the instincts of a nine and the lungs of a six. His 8.9 rating was a metric, not a tribute.
⏳ Corredoira’s Collapse, Civzellis’ Crescendo
For Reading, Jorge Corredoira’s afternoon will live in nightmares. His errant pass invited the second goal and his positional drift created the fifth—McCauley Civzellis hammering home from close range to complete the symphony.
By the 80th minute, pockets of Reading fans had begun their retreat from the stands, heads bowed beneath blue sky. Not out of protest—but out of recognition. This, perhaps more than any other fixture, marked the turning point in their season from struggle to surrender. For a club still scarred by last season’s narrow escape, hope is beginning to feel like a memory.
🏆 A Season Etched in Steel
Chelsea now sit on 73 points from 28 matches, 12 clear of Liverpool with a game in hand. Their last three league results—4–0 vs Plymouth, 5–0 vs Reading, and a statistical run unmatched in the top five leagues—do not merely suggest form. They affirm hegemony.
📜 From the Author’s Notebook
When I watched Eduardo Angione’s revival in Madrid, I thought of Chelsea’s eye for potential. But what we are witnessing now is the opposite arc—the expression of a collective crescendo, not an individual redemption. This team, crafted not by circumstance but by deliberate design, is edging into footballing mythology. The execution is relentless. The emotion, strangely quiet. But the legacy? It roars.
Next: Slavia Prague midweek. Then a Wembley final. The story isn’t over. But we already know how it ends.