Defender Cesar Azpilicueta hailed Christian Pulisic's performance after his goal ensured Chelsea secured a vital away-goal during last night's UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg against Real Madrid.
Pulisic, who is is experiencing a solid run of form at this moment in time, netted the game's opening goal after just 14 minutes when latching onto Antonio Rudger's long pass over the top of the Madrid defence.
Pulisic brought the ball down well and rounded Thibaut Courtois before cooly slotting the ball past two defenders and into the back of the net. The American then raced over to Blues boss Thomas Tuchel to celebrate a priceless away goal.
However, the Blues' lead was to last just a quarter of an hour as the home side drew level through a brilliant acrobatic effort from Karim Benzema, who notched his 27th goal of the season in process.
Despite the Frenchman's leveller, Chelsea are in a strong position to advance to the final for the first time since winning the trophy back in 2012, all courtesy of Pulisic's away-goal.
And his goal earned special plaudits from captain Azpilicueta following the full-time whistle, as the Spaniard hinted that he will only get better as time wears on.
"Great finish, real composure when he was in front of goal," Azpilicueta told BT Sport.
"He took the best decision, I think when he’s on the ball, without the ball he makes difficult runs to defend, he’s an amazing player, he’s a young player, he came here from another country, he’s growing, he’s improving with new experiences.
"So I’m very pleased with his goal because he’s a very important player for the team."
As well as Azpilicueta hailing Pulisic's performance, the former Borussia Dortmund star was also compared to Madrid star Eden Hazard by former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole.
"I love Pulisic. At the back end of last season, he was Chelsea’s best player by a mile," Cole said. "He looked like Eden Hazard, he could go both ways and score goals but the injuries have cost him.
"I’ve felt a little bit of a chink in his armour with his mentality. A player of his quality shouldn’t go as long as he has without having an affect on the game, I don’t know why that is.
"He’s a young man, he’s in a new country and I think he’s going to be a massive player for Chelsea.
"He’s well liked and respected in the dressing room. The club loves the fact that he’s a gem and he’s a marketing rise in America, he’s a God, but as a player, he more than holds his own. I think he’s terrific."
