Chelsea were beaten away to Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League – but midfielder N’Golo Kante still received major praise from the club’s supporters for his individual effort.
The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium, as they surrendered an early lead and slipped to fourth in the table.
After an excellent positive start, Frank Lampard’s side made the breakthrough in the 21st minute when Kante squeezed in his low finish past goalkeeper Ederson.
But reigning champions Manchester City responded with goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez before half-time.
Chelsea were unable to get a late equaliser despite applying some pressure in the closing stages and saw a six-game winning run in the league come to an end.
It was a big improvement on last season’s 6-0 crushing away to Manchester City, but once again Lampard watched his team fall short against a main rival despite looking pleasing on the eye in patches.
There is considerable work to be done if the Blues want to challenge at the top, but there is no doubting they have top-class players and a real standout one in Kante.
Kante was given colossal praise from a selection of supporters on social media and he was the top Blues performer at the Etihad.
The 28-year-old Frenchman kept possession extremely well, as he showed tremendous ability and energy for the entire game.
He now has three goals in just six league appearances this campaign and Lampard has to build his midfield around him.
There are definitely areas to improve on defensively, but Chelsea now have to move on to a huge Champions League fixture with Valencia next week.
Here are some Chelsea fans on Kante:
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