"He's unique, one of a kind" - Thomas Tuchel heaps praise on Chelsea star for his performance v Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has heaped praise on midfielder N'Golo Kante following the Blues' crushing 3-0 win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Kante came on after half-time for Mason Mount after Chelsea had failed to break the deadlock in the first half.
Following the Frenchman's introduction, Chelsea scored three goals and conceded none to extend their unbeaten run in the ongoing Premier League season. Kante also got on the scoresheet, scoring the visitors' second goal at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
"He played a huge part. N'Golo is N'Golo, he's unique, one of a kind and having him on the pitch makes such a huge difference to everything," Tuchel told BBC Match of the Day.
"He's a top player. If you have N'Golo, you have something everyone is looking for. He is a unqiue guy... He is fantastic."
N'Goalo Kante. 😀 https://t.co/7lzLgOmjXu
Tuchel also reserved special praise for defender Thiago Silva, who scored Chelsea's opening goal of the night in the 49th minute.
"It was nice that he almost scored twice. He was so strong. I am very happy for him that he was able to open the game for us," the Chelsea manager said of Silva.
"His performance even in the first half was outstanding. It was a fantastic performance and well deserved."
"I was absolutely not happy with the first 45 minutes" - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel
Chelsea took time to get the ball rolling at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and were sub-par in the first half. Tuchel highlighted his unhappiness with his team's first-half performance after the match.
"I was absolutely not happy with the first 45 minutes. There were individual performances which were great in the first half from Kepa and Thiago Silva. Even more players were good but in general we lacked intent, energy and relentless in duels and 50-50 balls.
"I had the feeling we wanted to impress by pure skills but in derbies like this it is not always about just skills. It is about aggression, winning duels and performing better as a team.
"We spoke clearly about it at half time. In the second half it was a very good performance and a deserved win in the second half. It was a very good reaction so I am happy with the performance in the second half," Tuchel told Sky Sports.
Chelsea's next assignment is in the EFL Cup as they host Aston Villa on Wednesday, September 23 at Stamford Bridge.
Oh Thiago Silva! 🎶 https://t.co/3azAwXfrbo