Chelsea defender Malo Gusto delivered his best performance of the season as the Blues defeated Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.
The Frenchman started his 2nd straight league game for the Blues in the injury absence of Reece James, and he produced a fantastic showing on either side of the field. Gusto provided the assist for Mykhailo Mudryk’s 13th minute goal for Chelsea and he continued to impress with his distribution and defensive work.
The former Lyon man started in the right-back spot, but he was switched into the left-back position in the second half after Levi Colwill struggled to cope with Michael Olise. Gusto ended the game with a stunning 129 touches and 91 passes completed with a success rate of 94%. He won 6 duels and 3 tackles while making 3 clearances & 3 interceptions.
Gusto looked to be grimacing with pain at one point of the derby but luckily, it was only a minor knock and he managed to carry on for the entire 90 minutes. The London giants will want their £30 million signing to continue his good form in the coming months as they look to climb up the table in the top-flight.
Chelsea’s derby win over Palace has seen them return to the top half of the standings in 10th. They are still 12 points behind 4th-placed Manchester City and have much work to do in order to qualify for the Champions League. The Blues will play their final game of the year against Luton Town on Saturday.
The Blues registered a 3-0 win over the Hatters in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge but they could face a sterner test this time around. The promoted outfit have been a tough opposition to face on their home turf. The Hatters gave Arsenal a real scare in the last-gasp 4-3 defeat and recently beat Newcastle United 1-0.
