Gary Lineker picks out ‘ridiculously good’ Chelsea player for high praise after Lille win
Tuchel on Lukaku omission
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Gary Lineker has picked out one ‘ridiculously good’ Chelsea player for high praise in the aftermath of their win over Lille. The Blues put themselves in control of the Champions League last 16 tie with a 2-0 win over the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring eight minutes in when he headed Hakim Ziyech’s header past Leo Jardim.
Just after the hour mark, Christian Pulisic doubled Chelsea’s lead when he lifted the ball over the onrushing Jardim after a superb run from N’Golo Kante.
But that is not to say that life was comfortable for Thomas Tuchel’s side, far from it, with Lille pushing for at least one goal of their own.
In fact, the visitors had 15 shots in total as they pressed Chelsea, though the Blues were able to hold on to what could be a crucial clean sheet.
It was a clean sheet that could not have been secured without the efforts of back three Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen.
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While all three put in solid performances at Stamford Bridge, Lineker picked out the efforts of Silva as being particularly impressive.
The Brazilian produced an outstanding display in the centre of the back three to limit Lille to just two shots on target.
And Lineker hailed Silva for his performance, marvelling at how well the 37-year-old was able to play at the top level.
“How good is Thiago Silva? I’ll answer that myself: ridiculously good. A wonderful defender who’s defying Father Time,” the Match of the Day host tweeted.
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Lineker’s praise was well-earned by Silva, who has become one of Tuchel’s most reliable players this season.
Silva won 100 per cent of his tackles, made seven clearances and 12 recoveries to help maintain Chelsea’s shutout.
He was dominant in both the air and on the ground, winning four of his five aerial duels and six of his nine ground duels.
It is the latest stand-out performance in what has been an impressive season for Silva, who has also been hailed by his former coach Jody Morris.
“Thiago Silva was unbelievable – it does not seem like he is getting older one bit,” Morris, who served as Frank Lampard’s assistant, told BBC Five Live.
“Lille didn’t threaten enough and when they got close to the Chelsea goal ran into a brick wall. It was a really accomplished performance from Chelsea.
“The clean sheet is huge at home. With the games they have to catch up in with the league it may allow them to rotate the squad even more.
“It should’ve been more, that’s the only disappointment that Thomas Tuchel will have, but you can’t really moan about a 2-0 win in the last 16.”
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