Darren Bent says Chelsea have a player who is just as important as Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool

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Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the Premier League and vital to Liverpool’s recent successes, but Darren Bent thinks one Chelsea player is just as important to his side.

In the aftermath of Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Benfica, former Premier League striker Darren Bent pointed out a player who is a crucial piece for the Blues.

Tuesday night’s Jose Mourinho reunion went as hoped, with Chelsea able to come away with all three points.

But the performance itself wasn’t overly convincing, especially going forward. And that might be because Chelsea were without the man Darren Bent compares to Virgil van Dijk in terms of importance to the side.

Darren Bent compares Cole Palmer to Virgil van Dijk

Chelsea held on to a 1-0 lead that came courtesy of a Richard Rios own goal in the early stages.

But the Blues weren’t able to get much joy going forward after taking the lead, and Cole Palmer’s absence through injury is a major reason for this.

Speaking after the match on talkSPORT, Bent says the Englishman not being on the pitch was key to Chelsea’s attacking struggles.

He explained: “You have to remember, you take anyone’s best player and I’m talking about the most influential player in your team out, you’re going to struggle. Like you take out Virgil at Liverpool, they’re going to struggle.”

And struggle they did. Chelsea created just 0.93 xG over the 90 minutes, with just three attempts on target.

Bent isn’t worrying too much though, as he continues: “Cole Palmer is just he’s such a special footballer. He influences so much. So I think once he comes back and then they get a couple of centre-backs back as well, then you can start judging.”

Van Dijk has been the undisputed king at centre-back over the last couple of seasons, but Palmer has been equally dominant in his position, and his return will be huge for Enzo Maresca.

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

Chelsea need to figure out how to play without Palmer

When you have a player of Palmer’s ability, of course you’re going to run the attack through him. He has proven to be an extremely effective creative hub since arriving at Chelsea.

But his current absence is having too negative an effect on their forward play.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca confirms another Chelsea player won’t feature until after international break

It’s a long season, and even if Palmer stays healthy for the remainder, he will need to be rotated out at points amid a hectic schedule.

There cannot be such a drop-off when he’s out. Someone else needs to be ready to take the reins of the attack. Someone like Joao Pedro, Estevao or Pedro Neto has to find the impetus to take over the Englishman’s duties when he’s not in the side.

Chelsea have invested enough in the attack at this stage to not have to place all faith in one player, but at the moment, they’re struggling without their star.