Thiago Silva was hugely impressive for Chelsea during their Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Blues were aiming to win the competition for the sixth time in their history, but it was not meant to be as the Reds won the final via a penalty shoot-out at Wembley Stadium.
A number of clear-cut chances were missed over the course of 120 minutes. Mason Mount had two golden opportunities, where he should have found the back of the net.
This eventually proved costly for Thomas Tuchel’s side, but there were some positives to take from the performance, particularly from the defensive department.
Edouard Mendy produced one of the best goalkeeping displays in a League Cup final. He single-handedly kept the Blues in the game with three stand-out saves in regulation time.
Thiago Silva was likewise impressive, and exhibited a tireless work rate despite being 37. The Brazilian had a nervous start after he was sold short by a poor Mateo Kovacic pass.
However, he recovered exceptionally well as the game went on. He had 93 touches, winning eight aerial and ground duels. The defender also made a stunning goal-line clearance.
Mendy’s poor clearance gifted possession to Mohamed Salah in the 63rd minute. The Egyptian chipped his effort over the goalkeeper, but Silva was on guard to clear under his own crossbar.
The Brazilian signed a new one-year contract by the Blues last month, but judging by his current performances, there is a strong possibility that he could continue beyond next season.
The Blues may still enter the transfer market for at least one centre-back this summer with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen having just four months left on their contracts.
There has been no progress over renewals for either player. The latter seems to have made his mind up to move on. Rudiger could yet be convinced to prolong his stay at the club.
