Chelsea star Mason Mount has responded to comments from Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos made in the build-up to Wednesday’s Champions League semi- final second leg.
German international Kroos had explained prior to the clash at Stamford Bridge that there were no individuals who made him lose sleep as Chelsea played to their strengths as a team unit.
Mount appears to have taken that comment as a slight - the England international netted the Blues’ second goal on the night, which effectively finished the tie as a contest.
It was a hugely impressive victory as Chelsea booked their place in the Champions League final against Manchester City in Istanbul later this month.
The build-up to the second leg had focused on how each side would approach the game with questions from the press inevitably turning to how they would handle their opponents.
It followed a closely-contested first leg in the Spanish capital when a Karim Benzema goal for Madrid cancelled out Christian Pulisic’s opener, but in truth the Blues were vastly superior over the two legs.
Kroos had explained in his pre-match press conference: "In my 15 years playing football, I never lost sleep.
"They showed in Madrid (in the first leg) that they play as a team. They have a German coach so that doesn't surprise me. They defend well and have pace up front, those are their strengths."
Mount told CBS Sports after Wednesday’s second leg: "I saw one of their players say before that he doesn't lose sleep over individuals.
"But as a team, they need to lose sleep over us as a team. We give so much, we defend for our lives.
"You saw that in not many chances that we gave away. We are solid and we need to keep that going."
The final will be staged on Saturday 29 May.
