Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek made back-to-back starts for the first time under Thomas Tuchel in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Blues managed to see out a tense 1-0 victory over Brentford that saw them return back to the top of the table.
Ben Chilwell’s strike on the edge of half-time saw Tuchel’s side take the lead before some second-half heroics from Edouard Mendy guided Chelsea to all three points.
Whilst the headlines will go to Mendy’s fantastic goalkeeping performance, the showing from Loftus-Cheek may have gone under the radar of sorts.
The 25-year-old has come in from the cold at Stamford Bridge and put in some impressive stats in just his second league start.
On Twitter, Squawka Football showed the midfielder’s statistical impact, by saying: “Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Chelsea vs. Brentford.
“Most touches (100), Most duels contested (22), Most ball recoveries (13), Most fouls won (5), Most take-ons (4).
“He also made four clearances and three tackles.”
Loftus-Cheek spent last season on loan at Fulham, where he made 22 starts in the Premier League but struggled to show consistency in his performances, who were eventually relegated back to the Championship.
The midfielder had his most consistent run in a Chelsea shirt in the 2018/19 season under Maurizio Sarri, making 24 Premier League appearances.
The stats will give Tuchel a slight headache in his team selection going forward, but it offers the Blues more options to rotate as well as a lifeline to Loftus-Cheek's career at Stamford Bridge.
