Thiago Silva produced a superb defensive performance for Chelsea during Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Middlesbrough.
The Blues travelled to the Riverside Stadium for yesterday’s Cup tie. They dominated proceedings from the off with Romelu Lukaku scoring in just the 15th minute.
In the 31st minute, Hakim Ziyech doubled the advantage. Boro failed to make any sort of comeback after the break, failing to register a shot on target in the entire game.
Silva was once again superb at the heart of the defence for the Blues. He registered 118 touches over 90 minutes with 105 passes. He delivered five successful long balls.
The Brazilian also won seven of his eight duels attempted. Boro were barely a goal threat, barring the one chance for Folarin Balogun, who fired his shot over the crossbar.
Silva has been an excellent acquisition for the Blues since his arrival on a free transfer in 2020. There were initially doubts over his credentials, considering he was already 35.
He had a poor league debut against West Bromwich Albion, but has not looked back since, registering several world-class performances for the west London giants in all competitions.
Chelsea were undoubtedly heavy favourites against Boro yesterday, but still needed to be wary of the Championship outfit, who stunned Manchester United and Tottenham.
Silva was up to his task with a strong defensive showing. He will be pivotal for the Blues going forward as they look to win the FA Cup, which has eluded them over the past few seasons.
Chelsea have reached the final in the previous two campaigns, only to lose out to Arsenal and Leicester City respectively. They will be keen to go all the way this time around.
It won’t be an easy challenge, considering Manchester City and Liverpool are still involved. The latter recently beat them in the Carabao Cup final via a penalty shoot-out.
