Chelsea legend John Terry has lavished praise on club midfielder Enzo Fernandez for his display in their 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday (7 February).
The Blues played their FA Cup replay against Unai Emery’s men at Villa Park, having drawn 0-0 against their Premier League counterparts in January. Conor Gallagher slotted into the top-left corner within just 11 minutes before Nicolcas Jackson scored from a header ten minutes later.
Fernandez found the back of the net with an exceptional free-kick in the second half. The Argentine midfielder’s performance earned great plaudits from Terry, who wrote on X after the game:
“So much better tonight. The movement on and off the ball was excellent, Enzo was superb tonight. Played forward and ran forward which causes problems for defenders.”
He added:
“Away fans were excellent. Tough run of games coming up but I want to see more of that.”
Chelsea have struggled in the Premier League this season, 11th in the standings and 15 points adrift of the top four. The Blues suffered disappointing defeats to Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers before their dominant win over Villa.
The west Londoners will next face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, followed by a tough run of fixtures. Mauricio Pochettino’s men will face Manchester City in the Premier League on 17 February before locking horns with Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on February 25.
“The two of them dominated” – Roy Keane hails Chelsea duo who were ‘absolutely outstanding’ against Aston Villa
Manchester United icon Roy Keane has lauded Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo for their performance against Aston Villa. The pundit hailed the Chelsea duo for dominating the midfield.
He said (via Caught Offside):
“Absolutely outstanding. The two of them dominated that midfield. Villa were very poor but they looked strong, they looked aggressive, their passing was short, their decision-making was excellent.”
Keane added, on Fernandez’s free-kick:
“I can see why the referee gave that free-kick and the strike is just quality. You have to put it in the top corner, he’s facing his team-mate who is a brilliant goalkeeper, what a free-kick. Pace, whip. As soon as it left his foot you thought it had a great chance. Beautiful.”
The Blues signed Fernandez from Benfica in January of 2023 for a British record £106.8 million before breaking the bank once again to secure Caicedo’s services for £115 million last summer.
The South American duo have registered 29 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea this season, with Fernandez scoring six goals and providing one assist and Caciedo recording an assist.
Thank You!