Alan Shearer has heaped praise on Moises Caicedo after the midfielder showed his “nasty” side in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth.
Xabi Alonso’s side stormed into an early two-goal lead through Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers before Joao Pedro continued his fine start to the season, scoring either side of Evanilson’s scrambled effort, ahead of Henderson putting the icing on the cake with a beautiful free-kick.
The Blues have been outstanding in attack this season, with only Brighton (18) scoring more than their 15 Premier League goals, but they’ve also conceded a league high of 13.
READ: Why the Premier League needs spinning top Chelsea and Jordan Hendiesta right now
The return of Caicedo – who had featured for just 14 minutes this season due to injury – was tipped to make a big difference to their defensive woes and so it turned out on Saturday.
Shearer hailed the Ecuadorian’s “superb” display at Stamford Bridge .
“The front three were brilliant again, as well as Jordan Henderson. But Caicedo makes such a difference to this Chelsea team because of his experience and his ability in that midfield both defensively and when he wins that ball, how he makes things look pretty simple but so effective in what he did,” Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day.
Watching a replay of Caicedo’s contribution to Henderson’s opening goal, Shearer added: “It’s simple but the way he gets the ball… first thought is forward.
“Chelsea are on the front foot and his relationship and understanding allows Henderson [to advance forward] because he knows what’s behind him, he knows he’s got his back and has got the protection behind him.
“It was a wonderful strike from Henderson but it starts with Caicedo winning the ball and playing it forward.”
On Rogers’ goal to double Chelsea’s advantage, Shearer continued: “It was something very similar here.
“You can see his [Caicedo’s] positioning, the ball eventually comes out and he wins it, he wins it really well, and then he passes it to Rogers, who finds himself [in space].
“Alright, there’s a little deflection in there but after three minutes he’s played a huge part in what Chelsea are doing.
“We’ve seen the attacking side but the defensive side of it, he reads the game so well.
“He spots the danger and he cuts it out, his pressing.
“You need a little bit of the nasty side in there as well and he’s not afraid to do that as well. Every single team needs that.
“The freedom that he gave Henderson was superb and their relationship.”
While Chelsea’s attack continues to purr and Henderson impressed on his home debut with a brace, Shearer insists Caicedo was the standout performer for Chelsea.
He added: “The free-kick Henderson scored came from Caicedo spotting that [an interception], he’s quick to react, he wins the ball, gets it into Cole Palmer, they get the free-kick and then, of course, we know exactly what happens.
“So he played a major part in what Chelsea did. We’ve spoken about that front three and rightly so, and what a day for Henderson as well, but it was Caicedo, I thought, who was absolutely superb.”
READ NEXT: Paul Merson says £115m Chelsea midfielder ‘best in the world’ after Bournemouth win