Mateo Kovacic had one of his best games in a Chelsea shirt against Norwich City.
That is the view of former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Danny Murphy.
The Croatia international split opinions amongst Chelsea supporters as well as the media whilst on loan from Real Madrid last season as his lack of goals and assists from midfield were somewhat of a concern.
Despite inconsistent form under Maurizio Sarri as well as the Blues' transfer ban this summer, Kovacic's deal was made permanent and made his second start of the Premier League season at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon.
He played the full 90 minutes as Frank Lampard finally oversaw his first win as new head coach.
Most of the plaudits has gone to two-goal hero Tammy Abraham, but Murphy has singled out the midfielder - who registered an assist - for praise amid the absence of N'Golo Kante.
"There was big question marks from the last season, what is he? Is a holding midfielder or is he a number 10? But today he showed all aspects of his game," Murphy said on Match of the Day. "It’s probably as good a game as we’ve seen in a Chelsea shirt.
"He played in that central role but he got forward more, which we haven’t seen, he’s played a bit safe for me in the nine months of watching him.
"There was a responsibility he had to take and he did it really, really well.
"Without Kante, they needed someone to put his foot in because Norwich played well. They’ve got good footballers and someone had to stop the momentum they had at times.
"He was the one making things happen."
Kovacic will be hoping to build on this performance when Chelsea go in search of back-to-back wins as Sheffield United are the visitors to Stamford Bridge next weekend.
