Mason Mount claims Chelsea teammate Denis Zakaria deserved man of the match instead of him last night against Dinamo Zagreb.
Chelsea returned to winning ways on Wednesday evening by beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, which wrapped up the group stages of the Champions League.
Graham Potter’s side had already guaranteed top spot before yesterday, but it was a much-needed positive result after the recent disappointment at Brighton in the league.
Despite conceding early against Dinamo Zagreb, Chelsea responded with goals from Raheem Sterling and Zakaria.
The Blues now know they will face either Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan, RB Leipzig or Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16.
Zakaria deserved man of the match
Mount, who was named UEFA’s man of the match against Dinamo Zagreb, believes debutant Zakaria deserved the individual award over him.
Zakaria, 25, was excellent on his first appearance for the Blues.
The Swiss midfielder scored the winning goal in the first-half, as well as cover a lot of ground and make his impact in general play.
Mount said, as quoted by the club’s official website: “Denis Zakaria came in and was unbelievable. He deserves man of the match more than me, and he scored as well!
“To step up after not playing, and starting the game, was brilliant. I’m very happy for him to get this opportunity and to do so well.”
Zakaria, who received big praise from Potter post-match, was a real standout in the Champions League victory. Let’s hope there’s more to come from him in Chelsea colours, too.
However, Mount should be really pleased with his contribution as well.
The 23-year-old Blues star looked really comfortable playing in a slightly deeper role as a midfielder, which is a position that he loves.
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