EDOUARD MENDY has enjoyed a fine start to life at Chelsea – with the stats showing just how much of an improvement he is on Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Manchester United counted as a third clean sheet for the Senegal shot-stopper.
And he showed his reflexes with a few vital saves to earn a point for his side.
Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata were both denied by athletic parries from Mendy, who also saved a one-on-one chance with the striker early on.
It meant Chelsea have kept three clean sheets in the four games he has played since a £22million switch from Rennes.
Sevilla, United and Crystal Palace have all been held off by the 28-year-old, with Tottenham the only side to score in their Carabao Cup encounter.
The stats show that both Kepa and Mendy have averaged two saves per game for Chelsea.
But the new signing is making stops at a much higher rate.
Mendy boasts a save percentage of 88.9 per cent, while Kepa kept out just 63.4 per cent of the shots he faced.
Although there does appear to be a trade-off in Frank Lampard’s decision to swap the keepers.
Edouard Mendy produced a stunning stop from Marcus Rashford in the dying moments of Saturday’s drawCredit: Reuters
Kepa’s passing accuracy of 81.8 per cent was far from perfect – as witnessed when he gifted Sadio Mane a goal for Liverpool earlier in the campaign.
But Mendy has only clocked a rate of 74.3 per cent thus far, with a dodgy pass across his own goalline going out for a corner at Old Trafford on Saturday.
That said, perhaps the most pleasing statistic for Lampard at this point is how Mendy has committed zero errors leading to goals, with Kepa’s official Chelsea tally at three.
After the draw with United, the Blues boss heaped praise on his new custodian.
How the goalkeepers compared last season
Lampard said: “His performance was very good.
“You rely on your goalkeepers in those moments in a tight game, not full of many chances.
“Rashford’s first chance was a mistake from us, the one at the end was a moment of quality from him. He showed us what he is there for.
“We brought him in for his quality. He showed great composure in the games he’s played already and with the saves today in a tight you rely on them moments.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
