Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has received praise from Ruben Loftus-Cheek after his costly error against Leeds United at Elland Road last week.
Despite the error in the 3-0 loss, the Senegal goalkeeper was named in the first team when the Blues faced and defeated Leicester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Mendy made key saves that helped them win.
"He was fantastic. One mistake doesn’t get him down, he’s ready to go again. That’s what a top player does," Loftus-Cheek told the club’s website.
"Ed is a fantastic leader on the pitch and you can always hear his voice behind you, which is great, and obviously, his goalkeeping ability is fantastic. He’s a massive plus for the team."
As Chelsea fought and got back to winning ways, they had to face the Foxes a man down after Conor Gallagher was red carded in the 28th minute. Loftus-Cheek explained how they managed to register the slim win despite being numerically disadvantaged.
"We accepted we weren’t going to have most of the ball, but we could create chances by counter-attacking with pace. We couldn’t go crazy with the press being one man down. We had to stay in a block, be tight, be compact, let them play around us and try and block crosses," he stated.
"It’s very hard, they did get a few opportunities, but that’s going to happen when you have 10 men against good attacking players.
"We stuck in there,’ continued Loftus-Cheek. ‘There was no stone left unturned. Everyone gave everything. Everyone was talking on the pitch, it was so loud, the crowd were giving us energy and that took us to the end, so thanks to the fans as well.
"It’s a great feeling to get the win with 10 men. The dressing room is very happy. We needed a reaction to the Leeds loss, and we got it."
The Gallagher red card means Chelsea have had a player sent off in consecutive Premier League games for the first time since October 2014 under Jose Mourinho.
