West Ham skipper Declan Rice was full of praise for Chelsea’s Joao Felix after coming up against him in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
West Ham and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw earlier today in a league contest at the London Stadium.
The Blues took the lead after dominating for most of the early period, with 23-year-old attacker Felix volleying in an opener for the visitors.
However, Emerson Palmieri scored against his former employers to earn a point for the Hammers.
Declan Rice wowed by Joao Felix
West Ham midfielder Rice, 24, admitted that he came up against an “unbelievable player” on the weekend in Felix.
“As a player, you know a top player,” Rice told Stadium Astro.
“The way he worked from side to side to get on the ball and find space. He’s an unbelievable player. I noticed that straight away, within the first 10-15 minutes, you have to be really on your game with players like him.”
Chelsea head coach Graham Potter was full of praise for Felix after his contribution against West Ham, which is why it seems a fairly safe bet to guess he’ll be starting the club’s next game. Incidentally, it’s a mouth-watering trip to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night in the first leg of a Champions League last-16 tie.
The Blues have now scored just two goals in their four league games, but Felix looks like the kind of individual that can make things happen in the final third of the pitch.
The on-loan Atletico Madrid attacker adds a real sharpness and directness to the Chelsea line-up.
If you’re a Blues midfielder or defender on the ball, you can be certain Felix will be ghosting into intelligent areas in the No.10 role.
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