Gary Neville described Chelsea defender Thiago Silva as “tough as hell” following his performance on Monday night at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian centre-back scored the opener for the Blues in a 3-0 win at home to London rivals West Ham in the Premier League, which lifted them to fifth in the division table.
Silva got on the end of Mason Mount’s corner to hammer in a header inside 10 minutes, before Tammy Abraham scored a quick-fire double in the second-half to wrap up three points.
Abraham got the nod at centre-forward ahead of in-form Giroud against West Ham and repaid the faith of manager Frank Lampard by scoring two instinctive finishes inside the penalty box.
Neville though was left in awe of Silva for his latest Blues display and highlighted the importance he has on the group.
“I remember what it was like with me being 35 or 36 and becoming exposed. But he is clever. I thought his attacking of that corner was absolutely standing,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“If he stays fit and plays all season I think Chelsea will have a good season.
“I think they will finish in the top four and I think for the ones who were intrigued to see how he would do in this league, he is proving that he is world class. This idea about Brazilian centre-backs, he is tough as hell and I think he will get through the season well.”
Aged 36, Silva is still showing he’s capable of operating at a top level and is proving many doubters wrong this season.
The centre-half was written off by many due to the fact he moved to English football so late in his career, but he’s been delivering the kind of elite performances he so frequently did during his time with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
He’s an old fashioned player that defends with plenty of grit and aggression, but he combines that with his passing, intelligence and leadership to make a player that has been one of Europe’s top centre-backs in the past decade.
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