Chelsea's disappointing home draw against newly-promoted Hull City (2-2) on 12 September 2026 stirred a fierce backlash from fans. The focus of criticism fell squarely on full-backs Yorrel Hato and Malo Gusto.
The hosts took the lead early on, with Morgan Rogers scoring in the seventh minute, but Hull struck back with a double from Mohamed Bellumi just minutes before half-time, turning the game on its head. A precise strike from Joao Pedro in the 66th minute salvaged a point for the Blues, but it was far from enough to satisfy the crowd.
Both of Hull's goals could be traced directly back to glaring positional and individual errors from Hato and Gusto, much to the chagrin of manager Xabi Alonso. Hato, particularly, misjudged the bounce from a long pass by Ryan Giles for the first goal and struggled to make any impact going forward before being substituted at the break for Pep Chavarria.
Although Alonso labelled the substitution as tactical, the overwhelming sentiment from fans painted a grim picture of the defenders’ performances. Statistics illustrated their woes, with the duo failing to register a single successful tackle throughout the match.
Fans unleashed a torrent of criticism on social media:
It was painful to watch Hato's mistake once, let alone on repeat. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro bailed the team out once again, as they always do.
Calling that half-time substitution 'tactical' is merely a way to protect the young defender’s confidence. Don’t make us pretend we witnessed a completely different match.
The first goal conceded to Hull was an outright error by Hato and Gusto. Such basic mistakes prove they aren't up to the club’s standards. You can't win matches with full-backs performing at that level. They have no place in the starting XI; they cost Chelsea victory against a newly-promoted side.
Many fans were left perplexed by the decision to start Hato ahead of Chavarria, who is deemed more reliable defensively. A small portion defended the Dutchman, reminding everyone that he was once viewed as the team's biggest talent just last season, arguing that one blunder shouldn’t define his career. Nevertheless, after dropping two crucial points at Stamford Bridge, it is Hato and Gusto who find themselves called out by fans demanding their removal from the starting line-up.
