Rio Ferdinand blown away by the Enzo Fernandez assist in Chelsea’s draw vs West Ham

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Rio Ferdinand really appreciated the “exquisite” assist from Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez in the 1-1 draw against West Ham this weekend.

Fernandez, making his second Chelsea appearance, did impress yet again in the centre of the park.

The 22-year-old central midfielder created the opening goal of the game with a fantastic assist for Joao Felix. His delicately lifted cross over the defence was calmly volleyed in by his teammate.

Unfortunately, Emerson Palmieri equalised for West Ham to earn the hosts a point during Saturday’s Premier League fixture.

Enzo Fernandez magic

Chelsea fans are already starting to get glimpses of why the club invested so heavily in January to sign Fernandez from Benfica.

The Argentina international plays the kind of forward passes that the Blues midfield has lacked at times in recent seasons.

Rio Ferdinand, who was working as a pundit for BT Sport, singled out Fernandez for praise this afternoon. In particular, it was the central midfielder’s speed to assist the goal that caught his eye.

“They (Chelsea) were dominant in the early stages. I think Enzo was given far too much respect. Enzo conducting play from that area. Early in the game he had acres of space to work in,” Fernandez told BT Sport 1 (1:25pm, 11 February).

Ferdinand added on the Fernandez assist: “The speed of thought to play that pass, exquisite pass…”

Fernandez has the kind of vision and execution that is a massive bonus for Chelsea.

It feels like the youngster is still getting up to top gear as he adjusts to a new league and new country, but the signs are very positive so early into his Blues career.

He definitely looks up for the physical battle, something that massively helps in the English game. However, today provided a snapshot of what he can do in an offensive sense as well.

Jermaine Jenas awarded him his player of the match in the Chelsea clash with West Ham.

We feel there’s still a lot more to come from him, though.

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