Portuguese media say Chelsea star was a massive ‘headache’ for Jose Mourinho in Champions League clash

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Chelsea were not at their best in the 1-0 win against Benfica in the Champions League, however Portuguese media were full of praise for one player.

Enzo Maresca started the Champions League game with a weakened XI, however Alejandro Garnacho’s cross which ended up in Richard Rios’ net was enough to get the three points on the board.

For the third time in four games, the Blues ended the game with 10 men on the pitch. At least Joao Pedro waited until the final few seconds before he was sent off against Benfica.

• READ MORE: Ally McCoist slams ‘pathetic’ Benfica player for Joao Pedro incident before red card

As far as individual performances go, there were not too many to shout about for Chelsea. Moises Caicedo was praised heavily for his display in what is becoming a regular occurrence at Stamford Bridge.

Portuguese media praise Chelsea star for performance vs Benfica

Another player who impressed was Pedro Neto, who took the role of the experienced individual in the very young attack Chelsea named.

Playing against a side from his home country, the winger was the one who took the headlines there, with Portuguese outlet A Bola saying he gave them a ‘headache’ all game long.

They said: “In what appeared to be a 4-3-3 attacking formation, Sudakov was more of a left winger than a number 10, with Aursnes pulling inside and Dahl having less freedom to run wide—it couldn’t have been any other way, as the Swedish defender clashed with the quality of Portuguese international Pedro Neto.

“The quality of the midfielders and especially Pedro Neto’s ability allowed Chelsea to gain some, but not excessive, advantage. Down the stretch, Pedro Neto continued to be the biggest headache for Benfica’s defenders.”

Pedro Neto Chelsea’s ‘unsung hero’

It has actually been a very strong individual start to the season for Neto, despite the fact that his last two Premier League outings have been cut short by red cards to teammates.

Joe Cole described Neto as Chelsea’s ‘unsung hero’, believing he is as consistent as it comes at Stamford Bridge.

There are plenty of young attackers who are hoping that they will be handed the start by manager Maresca against Liverpool at the weekend, however the former Wolves man is surely at the front of the queue.

With no Cole Palmer available, the creative burden has had to be taken by someone else, and it looks as if Neto is shouldering a lot of this responsibility.