Nathan Ake was one of the players thrown in at the deep end against Tottenham yesterday, the defender having barely featured since his return from a loan spell at Bournemouth in January.
Kurt Zouma had taken over from John Terry as first choice to fill in whenever one of the members of the back 5 were absent, although he has yet to look fully comfortable in the back three.
Plenty of Chelsea fans had been calling for an Ake appearance instead, and they got their wish yesterday.
The Dutchman took his chance too, posting some impressive stats in a performance that grew as the game went on.
According to WhoScored, Ake make 6 tackles, with one perfectly timed challenge on Harry Kane particularly memorable.
He also made 4 clearances and 2 interceptions as the Blues spent the game largely on the back foot against Spurs.
Most impressively of all, he topped the passing stats with 40 completed, more than anyone else on his team.
