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      Chelsea player ratings: Mudryk runs Leicester defenders ragged but Felix is hooked at half-time

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      CHELSEA continued their revival as they recorded a third consecutive victory on Saturday.The Blues secured the three points with a 3-1 win at Leicester City.
      Graham Potter’s Chelsea continued their resurgence with a victory at LeicesterCredit: PA
      Ben Chilwell broke the deadlock against his old team before Patson Daka rifled home an equaliser.
      But Kai Havertz pounced seconds before the break and then Mateo Kovacic sealed the win after the restart.
      Here is how each member of Graham Potter’s team performed at the King Power:
      Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7
      Rode his luck when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s first-half effort smashed off his crossbar.
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      Might feel he left a little too much room for Patson Daka to beat him from 20 yards.
      But made up for it with important saves to deny Maddison and Iheanacho. 
      Wesley Fofana – 7
      The ex-Fox was booed every time he touched the ball but he actually seemed to relish his role as pantomime villain for the day.
      Denied a goal on his return to the King Power when Danny Ward touched over his powerful header from a Chilwell corner.
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      Kalidou Koulibaly – 8
      Solid at the back, lethal in attack!
      The big defender will dine out for a while for his part in Chelsea’s opener when he produced a neat stepover to leave Dewsbury-Hall for dead before crossing to provide the assist for Chilwell’s opener.
      Marc Cucarella – 7
      Unfortunate to pick up a booking when Dewsbury-Hall lost his footing and crashed into him.
      Stuck to his task against a mobile Foxes front three but remains a work-in-progress as a left-sided centre-back.
      Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7
      Revelled in the freedom to surge forward and attack down Chelsea’s right.
      Thought he had an assist when he accepted Mudryk’s ball out wide and picked out Felix to finish from close range until VAR spotted the forward had strayed offside.
      Enzo Fernandez – 7
      Showed the confidence and vision of a World Cup winner with his cheeky flip over the Leicester defence to spring the Foxes’ offside trap to set up Kai Havertz’s goal on the stroke of half-time.
      Not so happy when required to track James Maddison before Potter changed things at half-time.
      Mateo Kovacic – 8
      Topped off a productive performance in the Chelsea engine room with the volleyed finish which finally killed off Leicester.
      Used the ball well and held Chelsea together when Leicester threatened to expose the Blues defence before the break.
      Kai Havertz – 8
      Produced a sublime finish to flick a dropping ball over Danny Ward which gave Chelsea a crucial half-time lead. 
      Ended on a high when he produced the cross which led to Kovacevic’s clincher. 
      Left the King Power with a souvenir – Daniel Amartey’s stud marks on his abdomen after the defender caught him high following a tackle.
      Ben Chilwell – 8 
      The former Fox made a triumphant return to the King Power as he faced his former Leicester supporters.
      Opened the scoring with a superb left foot volley after starting the move with his own corner.
      His deliveries were a constant menace for his old club – how Brendan Rodgers could have used him here!
      Joao Felix – 7
      Had an eventful half before being hooked at half-time in a tactical shake-up.
      Was unfortunate to beat Ward with a cute flick, only to see the ball bounce to safety off the far post.
      Then had a ‘goal’ chalked off for offside. But he was culpable when caught in possession at Leicester’s equaliser to make it a frustrating day for the Portuguese forward. 
      Mykhailo Mudryk ran Leicester’s defenders raggedCredit: AFP
      Mykhailo Mudryk – 8
      Ran the Foxes defence ragged playing as a roving number 9.
      Leicester’s defence didn’t know whether to drop deep to pick him up when he went short.
      At other times his blistering pace left them for dead as he exploited any space behind.
      Thought he had set up a Chelsea goal only for Felix to stray offside.
      He suffered a similar fate when narrowly offside himself, after sprinting half the pitch to beat Ward. Had last laugh when his header set up Kovacic’s clincher.
      Substitutes
      Conor Gallagher (for Felix 46) – 7
      Turned the tide for his team when he was introduced. Suddenly James Maddison had less room to play in.
      Made an important goalline clearance to deny Souttar an equaliser and came close to scoring himself but Ward saved.
      Trevoh Chalobah (for Loftus-Cheek 73) – 6
      Kept Chelsea ticking over nicely.
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      Christian Pulisic (for Chilwell 73) – 6
      Produced some nice touches during his short time on the pitch.
      Carney Chukwuemeka (for Mudryk 82) – 6
      Wout Faes was red-carded for a late foul on the Chelsea sub who ran at him at pace before being downed.
      Benoit Badiashile (for Fofana 86) – NA More

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      Leicester 1 Chelsea 3: Chilwell, Havertz and Kovacic keep up Potter’s resurgence and leave Foxes in alarming position

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      GARY LINEKER made the most of a rare Saturday off with a trip to watch his beloved Leicester.Well if he gets another any time soon, they should ask him to bring his boots because even 30 years after he last kicked a ball, you’d still back his finishing to outshine most of these.
      Chelsea recorded their first away league win since mid-October with a 3-1 victory at LeicesterCredit: Getty
      The result was Chelsea’s third win on the bounce in all competitionsCredit: Reuters
      The fact Chelsea nabbed all three points was fair enough, given the general balance of play.
      But the Foxes still had more than enough clear sights of goal to have got something out of it – and they blew all of them bar one.
      Lineker, the deadliest striker this club has ever had, looked down from his seat in the main stand, just another disgruntled home fan, after his Match of the Day Tweet row.
      It took nearly an hour for home fans to start belting out his name, and their hero reacted with a modest smile and a little wave.
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      And really there wasn’t a whole lot else for him to chuckle about on a day when Chelsea showed flashes that there is certainly a good team in there waiting to break out.
      As for Leicester. Just bad to worse, really…and a noose seemingly ever tightening around under pressure boss Brendan Rodgers’ neck.
      Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Daniel Amartey and Harry Souttar will wake up with cold sweats at the chances they missed here. If only they had someone with Lineker’s eye for goal, eh?
      Amartey was the first guilty man, somehow bulletting a header wide from no more than a yard when James Maddison whipped in an admittedly fiercely travelling free kick.
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      Souttar had one kicked off the line, and Dewsbury-Hall’s volley came off the bottom of his boot with keeper Kepa out of his ground.
      It would have been even worse, too, but both Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk had goals – rightly – disallowed for offside.
      But it was no more than they deserved when Foxes old boy Ben Chilwell volleyed them ahead from a tight angle.
      Well executed it may have been, but keeper Danny Ward hardly covered himself in glory, though.
      Ben Chilwell opened the scoring on his return to the King PowerCredit: Getty
      Chilwell had a message for angry Leicester fans who booed him throughoutCredit: Getty
      Fair does to Leicester for levelling it after riding their luck through Felix’s ruled out effort then, with a strike Lineker would have been proud of – and a disaster for Felix, who was caught in possession 30 yards from his own goal,
      Ricardo Pereira didn’t need a second invite to pounce and while his backheel to Patson Daka was breathtaking, the finish was even more so.
      For Daka stepped to his left, took a stride or two and unleashed an absolute rocket which flew into the corner..
      From chanting “we want Rodgers out” to taunts mocking the West London big spenders. And football fans have the cheek to get the hump when they’re called fickle.
      Patson Daka hit a superb leveller for Leicester soon afterCredit: Reuters
      The striker was delighted with his effortCredit: Getty
      Suddenly the Foxes were flying and twice Kepa had to be on his toes with impressive stops to keep the visitors level.
      First he needed strong hands to beat away a Maddison drive from the right of his box, and then produced an even better stop from Kelechi Iheanacho’s low strike.
      Bizarrely it was Chelsea who needed a kick up the backside. Havertz got one in the abdomen instead, from Amarty’s wild hack on halfway.
      Mind you, the German’s revenge – in the last of four additional first half minutes – wasn’t half lethal. A dish best served cold? This one was red hot.
      Kai Havertz restored Chelsea’s lead with a deft touchCredit: Reuters
      The striker seems to have finally found his scoring shoesCredit: Reuters
      Enzo Fernandez’s cute and clever dink over the backline was absolute precision. Yet Havertz’s magnificently controlled first time volley over Danny Ward was sensational.
      Time to clear those throats for another burst of wanting Rodgers out, then.
      And they’d have been deafening if Wes Fofana’s header from Chilwell’s corner – a chance made in Leicester if ever there was one – hadn’t been pushed over by Ward.
      If it was intended to spark the Foxes into life, it seemed to have done the trick when they launched an up and at ’em onslaught that had Chelsea pegged back.. At least briefly.
      Mateo Kovacic made sure of the result with a volley late onCredit: Getty
      Chelsea will be hoping to put a run together as they eye a European finishCredit: Getty
      They should have made the most of their pressure, most notably when Souttar had two bites at the cherry to finish, but Conor Gallagher booted off the line.
      Then Kepa stretched to clear his lines and when it pinballed to Dewsbury-Hall, he couldn’t volley into a near empty net.
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      Costly? You bet, because Havertz promptly crossed from the right, Mudryk nodded back from the left and Mateo Kovacic showed Leicester how to finish.
      No wonder Lineker looked hacked off at the final whistle…. More

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      I’m an ex-Chelsea starlet who went from football’s next big thing to being forgotten about… it was very lonely

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      THIS ex-Chelsea starlet was on the brink of becoming a Premier League superstar.But a devastating injury saw him fade into obscurity.
      Charly Musonda was tipped for glory at Chelsea before a devastating knee injuryCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      After years of recovery, Musonda is playing again for Spanish side LevanteCredit: Getty
      And he admits he was left in a “very lonely place” before bouncing back with a new club.
      Charly Musonda, 26, was heralded as the next big thing in English football when he made his Chelsea debut in 2017.
      The exciting Belgian playmaker was seen by many Blues fans as a natural replacement for Eden Hazard, having impressed on loan at Real Betis.
      But Musonda’s career took a heartbreaking turn when he joined Vitesse Arnhem on loan in 2018.
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      The ace was limited to just one appearance in his first season after suffering a painful knee injury.
      And after it reoccurred early in the next term during a second Vitesse spell, Musonda was forced to undergo a potential career-ending operation.
      The now-Levante star says he came close to quitting football after allegedly being left isolated by his club and pals.
      But after a lengthy recovery process, Musonda is now back and firing in Spain… 48 months after his initial knee problem.
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      Musonda told SportsBible: “It’s something I still think about now. I have lost so much time. You get injuries, they happen. But you never think it’s going to take that much time. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play again.
      “Doctors said I was never going to be the same after that day. Basically they said if I have the surgery, then that would probably be the end of my career. That’s what I was told.
      “All of a sudden, I wasn’t getting any calls. Nobody is texting you. Nobody is asking where you are. It was a very lonely place.
      “It was a very lonely place. I’ve been alone for the last three or four years. I remember when the crutches came off after that first year and I said to myself, ‘Okay, listen, you’re alone, and you have to embrace it.’ 
      “There weren’t a lot of people to talk to. In the four years I was injured, only a few people called me and said, ‘Hey, how’s the injury going?’ In fact, I can count those people on two hands.
      “The first year, people were in contact but, as the years went on, fewer and fewer people got in touch. That’s just the way it is. It’s not the fault of anybody. But that can affect people mentally. 
      “You go from being at Chelsea, where everybody wants something from you, to being forgotten two or three years later.” More

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      Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard ‘jets into Istanbul to hold talks with Trabzonspor about becoming next manager’

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      LIVERPOOL legend Steven Gerrard has allegedly flown to Istanbul to hold talks with Trabzonspor over becoming their new manager.Gerrard, 42, was sacked by Aston Villa back in October after less than 12 months in the job.
      Steven Gerrard is reportedly on the verge of a shock new jobCredit: Getty
      He departed following a run of six defeats in 11 matches with Villa just one place above the Premier League’s relegation zone.
      Gerrard, along with Gary McAllister and current Gers manager Michael Beale, left Glasgow Rangers in November 2021 to take up the role at Villa Park.
      He won the Premiership title in 2020/21 without losing a single league game with his side earning 102 points and conceding just 13 goals all season.
      This month he was linked with a shock move to French Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
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      However, now Stevie G seems set for another club in another surprise switch.
      According to Turkish outlet Karar, the icon visited Istanbul earlier this week for dinner with Ertugrul Dogan, a man running to become president of the Turkish club.
      Trabzonspor are searching for a new boss after Abdullah Avcı quit following a 2-1 loss to bottom side Umraniyespor.
      They are currently sixth in the Turkish Super Lig and have won 11 of their 23 matches.
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      Dogan has reportedly promised to appoint Gerrard as manager if he wins the upcoming election.
      He is currently vice president of the club and also holds the role of chairman.
      Dogan is the favourite to win the presidential election.
      And that means that there is every chance Gerrard will be offered the job if these fresh reports are true. More

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      Tottenham star Richarlison brutally trolled as he shushes fans after scoring… but celebration backfires

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      TOTTENHAM’S Richarlison was brutally trolled after he shushed fans after scoring – only for his strike to be ruled out.The controversial Brazilian thought he had broken the deadlock for Spurs just minutes into their clash with Nottingham Forest today.
      Richarlison was left red-faced after performing a shush celebrationCredit: Reuters
      The Brazilian also cupped his ear after criticism from his boss Antonio ConteCredit: Reuters
      He received a lovely ball played over the top of the visiting defence, took a touch, and then thumped it into the roof of the net.
      The 25-year-old then put his finger to his lips in a phishing motion following a week of negative headlines as he celebrated.
      However, the strike was then ruled out after a VAR check discovered that the ex-Everton and Watford ace was offside.
      His name was perhaps a surprise choice on the team-sheet – especially after his manager Antonio Conte agreed that the Samba star has been “s***” this season.
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      And in an explosive press conference on Friday, the Tottenham boss also said that the forward had “scored no goals” and labelled him “selfish”.
      Spurs splashed out £60m to Everton last summer to sign Richarlison but he has only managed two goals in 25 appearances after an injury-ravaged campaign.
      He was brought on for the final 20 minutes of his team’s Champions League draw with AC Milan on Wednesday, a result which eliminated them from the competition, and afterwards the star let rip at his manager for benching him and said that it has been “s***” this season.
      However, he thought that he had silence his critics with an early goal against Forest – but supporters loved it that his shushing and ear-cupping celebration was all in vain.
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      One fan wrote: “Richarlison scored his first goal for Tottenham did the shush celebration and it got cancelled. You can’t make this up!”
      Another said: “Lol Richarlison did the shhhhh celebration only for the VAR to say No Goal Offside.”
      A fellow footy fan wrote: “Richarlison celebration full of arrogance.”
      As another said: “Did Richarlison shush Conte only for his goal to be ruled offside? That’s rough!”
      Conte said yesterday: “First of all I watched the interview of Richarlison. He didn’t criticise me. He said his season was s*** and he’s right. 
      “His season has been not good. He had injuries, played and scored in the Champions League and then went to the World Cup and then had a serious injury. 
      “He’s scored no goals for us. I think he was really honest to say his season was not good. His season has not finished yet. If he deserves to play I’ll give him the opportunity.
      “For the rest of the interview, I think he made a mistake. When you speak of ‘I’ and not ‘us’ you are being selfish.
      “I say to my players if we want to build something important and win a trophy we have to speak with ‘we’ not with ‘I’, because otherwise you’re thinking of yourself.
      “He made a mistake and he apologised and it was good for me to clarify with the team again about this. In this aspect we have to improve. We have to be more of a team and show more spirit positive, especially in negative moments.”
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      Conte continued: “Sometimes it’s not enough to be a good guy. You have to to show the right desire and fight to win the game and the duels, to be nasty. I think that sometimes we are a bit soft, but I’m the coach and I’m the first responsible for this to happen and it doesn’t happen every time.
      “I have to improve the team and I have to improve the spirit of my team. It always happened in the past and I hope it happens here.”
      Richarlison thought that he had fired Spurs ahead against Nottingham ForestCredit: Getty
      He then raced off and performed a shush gesture with his fingerCredit: Reuters More

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      Man City’s FA Cup clash against Burnley could look very different on TV with no build-up or post-match reaction

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      VINCENT KOMPANY’S FA Cup return to Manchester City could be the next high-profile victim of the Gary Lineker Tweet storm.Kompany takes his Burnley side to the Etihad for a tea-time kick-off next Saturday that is due to be screened by the BBC.
      Vincent Kompany is set to take his Burnley side to Man City next weekCredit: Alamy
      Gary Lineker was pulled from Match of the DayCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      But unless there is a resolution to the row that has rocked the Corporation, fans tuning in may just see the match without any build-up or post-game reaction – and with a break for other programming at half-time.
      Burnley’s clash at City and Sunday’s last eight tie between Brighton and Grimsby are now at risk of being scaled-down productions as the crisis continues.
      The FA will hope for a resolution over the coming days although talks with broadcasters may take place if the situation escalates further. 
      BBC sport output was slashed yesterday as presenters, pundits and commentators on television AND radio refused to work in protest at Lineker’s effective suspension.
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      After the Beeb announced on Friday that last night’s edition of Match of the Day would be composed purely of match highlights with no studio presentation or punditry, the knock-on effect was felt across the network.
      Presenter Alex Scott and others pulled out of the lunchtime Football Focus show, which was replaced by Bargain Hunt.
      Final Score’s lead presenter Jason Mohammad and his colleagues also joined the boycott in protest at the treatment of Lineker, with the Beeb scheduling The Repair Shop instead.
      And the backlash spread to Radio Five Live, initially with Colin Murray confirming the live recording of Fighting Talk would not take place “for obvious reasons”.
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      With presenter Mark Chapman withdrawing his services along with the scheduled Prem commentators, there was no Sport on Five either, with a series of pre-recorded podcasts filling the airwaves.
      The growing off-field drama saw Prem chiefs intervene to ensure players at yesterday’s six games were not put in a position where they would be embarrassed by being asked to appear in front of the BBC cameras for post-match interviews.
      In a statement, the PFA said: “We have been informed that players involved in today’s games will not be asked to participate in interviews with Match of the Day
      “The PFA have been speaking to members who wanted to take a collective position and to be able to show their support for those with chosen not to be part of tonight’s programme
      “During those conversations we make clear that, as their union, we would support all members who might face consequences for choosing not to complete their broadcast commitments.
      “This is a common sense decision that ensures players won’t now be put in that position.”
      The expectation is that Match of the Day 2 tomorrow night will also be a pundit and presenter-free zone after Jermain Defoe announced: “It is always a privilege to work with BBC MOTD.
      “But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties.”
      In addition to the live FA Cup ties, next weekend’s Match of the Day broadcasts could again be affected, although there would then be a two-week window for the March international break which could allow time to find a solution. More

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      Football fans horrified at ‘monstrosity’ pizza with sausage and KIWI FRUIT sold in J League

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      FOOTBALL fans have been left horrified by a pizza covered in sausage and kiwi sold at a game. The J League was home to the strange treat which gathered a big reaction from fans on Twitter.

      The Footy Scran account has become popular for tracking the good and bad of matchday meals at football grounds.
      And the Kiwi pizza sold at J League club Cerezo Osaka is among the worst many fans had seen.
      Pictures show lumps of the fruit and sausage spread out across the pizza, sat on a paper plate with the stadium in the background.
      The awful creation was available for 1000 yen, which is around £6.
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      It is fair to say football fans were not impressed.
      One disbelieving tweeter said: “How about this monstrosity?”
      Another fan simply said: “Dear God.”
      While another added: “And here I thought we were still debating the presence of pineapple on a pizza.”
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      But one person said: “Why am I the only person that’s here for this?!
      “Looks pretty on point, I can’t lie.”
      Football fans have previously taken to Twitter to express disgust with some food they have been dished on match days. More

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      ‘I wish I never left Chelsea’ – Willian opens up on nightmare Arsenal spell and regrets Blues transfer exit

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      WILLIAN has admitted that he regrets leaving Chelsea for Arsenal in 2020.The winger left Stamford Bridge after seven years to join the Gunners on a free transfer.
      Willian reflected upon his time at Arsenal
      Willian struggled during his year at ArsenalCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      He failed to replicate his Chelsea form at the Emirates, however, and would leave after just one season.
      Willian, 34, left Arsenal for Corinthians in 2021 – before surprisingly returning to the Premier League with Fulham this season.
      Ahead of the Cottagers’ clash with Mikel Arteta’s side tomorrow, Willian chatted to Sky Sports about his time at Arsenal.
      Asked if he regrets leaving Chelsea for the Gunners in 2020, he said: “Yeah. I wish I’d never left.
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      “Of course it’s easy to say now, but when I stop and think about all the situations…
      “I say to myself ‘I wish I never left’.
      “It’s life. I’m happy now at Fulham, enjoying myself there, this is life.”
      Further quizzed as to why his Gunners stint was a failure, he added: “They are flying now.
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      Willian has flourished at FulhamCredit: Getty
      “I don’t know. It was in the middle of the… it was changing a lot. I was excited when I signed with them.
      “I was training hard but it just didn’t work, and that’s it.”
      Willian made 339 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 63 goals and laying on 62 assists.
      He won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge.
      Following his move to Arsenal he netted just once in 37 games as his side came eighth.
      Willian has re-found his mojo upon his return to West London, scoring three goals and laying on three assists for Marco Silva’s side as they chase an unlikely European place.
      Willian enjoyed a successful seven-year spell at ChelseaCredit: Getty More