Moises Caicedo played a significant role in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
It was the midfielder who set up Joao Pedro’s winning goal for the Blues after a great bit of pressing, while his overall performance was spectacular.
Jason Cundy described Caicedo as “immense” during the game, and it is hard to disagree with the former Chelsea defender.
Yet there was one player on the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium who arguably had an even better game than the Ecuadorian.
Robert Sanchez was Chelsea’s best player in 1-0 win over Tottenham
In terms of shot-stopping, Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez did not actually have much to do.
However, when he was called upon to fulfil his other duties as a No.1, he did not let Enzo Maresca’s side down. In fact, everything that the 27-year-old did was perfect.
For example, Sanchez was flawless when it came to coming to collect crosses and corners. According to Sofascore, he made five high claims on the afternoon.
What really stood out, though, was his distribution. Sanchez created several dangerous counter-attacking opportunities from his own goal, completing a total of seven long balls.
The Spaniard has not had a better game in a Chelsea shirt, and had Tottenham forced a couple of saves out of him, he may have won the Player of the Match award.
Last month, it was reported that Chelsea see Marc-Andre ter Stegen as an upgrade on Sanchez. But if the former Brighton & Hove Albion man puts in more performances like his latest one in north London, Chelsea fans will start to disagree.
Daniel Sturridge thought Robert Sanchez was ‘exemplary’
One person who is not letting Sanchez’s performance go under the radar is former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge.
The retired England international was really impressed with how he dealt with crosses in the London derby.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Sturridge said: “The goalkeeper Sanchez imposed himself. He used his size, used his strength — I thought he was exemplary on crosses.”
Caicedo certainly deserves plenty of credit for Chelsea’s win against their fierce rivals, but so does Sanchez.
At a time when set-pieces are in again, Sanchez made sure they were not a problem for Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.