Chelsea collected a much-needed victory in midweek against Benfica to collect their first points of this season’s Champions League. On a night with some decent performances from the home side at Stamford Bridge, Blues supporters actually hailed the ability of an opposition player.
The Blues secured a narrow 1-0 win at home to Portuguese giants Benfica in the group phase of the Champions League.
Richard Rios’ own goal in the 18th minute proved to be the difference between the two teams, with some tidy work from Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho in the build-up.
If there was one negative, it was the moment when substitute Joao Pedro was sent off in stoppage time against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica side. As a result, he will miss the home fixture against Ajax in the Champions League on 22 October.
Chelsea’s player ratings against Benfica highlighted some decent performances, which should give them confidence going into Saturday’s Premier League fixture at home to Liverpool.
Chelsea fans want to sign Benfica star Antonio Silva
The Chelsea fanbase on social media couldn’t help but praise Benfica defender Antonio Silva, 21, after his performance against their side in Europe.
Here are Blues fans on X suggesting that they should look to sign the Portuguese centre-half…
One fan wrote: “Bring Antonio Silva to Chelsea in January.”
“Antonio Silva playing like a monster against us for the second time running,” another said.
One supporter claimed: “Antonio Silva is a must sign player for us in January. Need a CB with quality and he fits the age range the board are obsessed with.”
“I wish we would sign Antonio Silva,” another posted.
In fairness, the Benfica youngster has previously been linked with a move to West London.
Chelsea scouted Silva throughout all of last season, where he was a key player for Benfica. Despite his youth, he’s already played over 150 first-team games for them.
Like Blues fans mention, the ball-playing central defender certainly fits their transfer policy with his quite obvious potential. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea ramp up their interest further down the line, especially after seeing what he can do against them with a solid display in the Champions League.
Antonio Silva statistics vs Chelsea
Even though Silva passed the eye test with Chelsea fans, it was a mixed bag when it came to his individual statistics from the Champions League performance at the Bridge.
| Minutes played | Accurate passes | Tackles | Clearances | Ground duels won | Dribbled past | Fouls committed | Match rating |
| 73 | 35/40 (88%) | 1 | 1 | 1/2 (50%) | 0 | 1 | 5.9 |
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants to sign another centre-back. Let’s wait and see if Silva’s name comes up in conversations again.
While we would like to see the Blues go out and sign an experienced defender, the Benfica star may be the best option if they persist with the youth policy.
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