According to a report by Metro on Sunday, 18 October 2026, after Saturday's 2-0 Premier League win over Everton, former England midfielder Danny Murphy lauded Chelsea wing-backs Josh Acheampong and Jorrel Hato.

Following Xabi Alonso's team's first league clean sheet of the 2026–27 season, Murphy praised the two Chelsea players, calling them "terrific" for their contributions at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

After a winning streak that began after the international break, Chelsea moved into fourth place in the Premier League thanks to goals from Pedro Neto in the second half.

Everton suffered their first league loss of the season as a result of the loss, and Chelsea kept showing improvement under Alonso.

Despite the Blues' defensive struggles so far this season, Murphy is certain that the clean sheet will give the squad a much-needed confidence boost.

On BBC's Match of the Day, Murphy commented, "They're improving." (Murphy, 2015).

"Getting a clean sheet was a huge deal; their defensive vulnerability had been a topic of much discussion, and they will be glad to have cleared that up today."

Notable for their poise and second-half game management, the ex-Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder singled out Acheampong and Hato for special recognition.

Both Acheampong and Hato, who play as wing-backs, were fantastic, in my opinion. In the second half, they played with more poise. Their depth gives them an advantage, and I thought they handled the game well.

Murphy elaborated by saying that the outcome would be good for Chelsea's defense and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was carted off to the hospital after suffering a worrying head injury in the match.

Keeping a scoreless draw would be a huge boon to the defense and goalie, he said.

But Chelsea manager Alonso has cautioned fans not to jump to conclusions based on their recent results, stating that there is still a long way to go for his team.

"We are still in the early stages. So far, we have achieved some good results, but there is room for improvement," the Spaniard stated.

Now that they've recovered from their loss to Everton, Chelsea will face Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League match. Alonso will be hoping that his team can keep up their good work and improve their defense.