"He was looking for a fight all night" - Former midfielder heaps praise on Chelsea star for his display against Leicester City
Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has heaped praise on Antonio Rudiger for his performance on Tuesday and feels his aggression set the tone for the game as Chelsea beat Leicester City.
Chelsea needed to bounce back after successive defeats against Arsenal and Leicester City in two different competitions, and did so with a dogged display against the Foxes.
The Blues needed a win to boost their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. They managed to do so, picking up three points to climb above Leicester City and move up to third in the Premier League table.
Chelsea shut Leicester City’s attack in the first half and did enough to close out the game after scoring twice in the second half to win 2-1.
Rudiger was at the heart of the gritty display and did not allow the Leicester forwards any time and space with his aggressive defending and closing down.
Chelsea's Rudiger was up for the game: Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness said that Rudiger was a man on a mission as he relished duels with the Leicester players and did not back down from the challenge.
"Rudiger has got to have a fight on the way home, he’s got to have some road rage - he was looking for a fight all night tonight.
"That set the tempo for everyone. He was really up for it tonight.
"Yes, he’s wrestling with people, the minute there was an incident he was sprinting up to people. I’m really disappointed in Leicester that no one fancied taking him on and matching him with his aggression,” Souness said on Sky Sports.
The former midfielder also praised Chelsea for a near complete performance, and believes they are a goalscorer away from being a real team. He added:
"I think they're close to being a real team, Chelsea. They have got a bit of everything about them, but if they haven't got a goal-scorer, when games are tight, they will struggle.
"That is what happened to them in the last few weeks. They lost their momentum. They needed to win tonight."
The Blues will take on Aston Villa next in their final game of the Premier League before turning their attention to the Champions League final against Manchester City at the end of the month.