ROY KEANE branded Chelsea midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo “absolutely outstanding” after the pair pulled the strings against Aston Villa.
And looking at their stats from last night’s FA Cup win, it’s easy to see why the hard-to-please Irishman was full of praise for the £222million superstars.
Caicedo and Fernandez were on fire as a resurgent Chelsea battered Villa 3-1 to book their spot in the fifth round.
Caicedo finally stepped into the boots of predecessor N’Golo Kante as he held the line between midfield and defence.
While Fernandez’s non-stop passing and movement split Villa apart on multiple occasions and eased the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentina World Cup winner even got on the score sheet with a world-class free-kick, which was pinged into the top corner of Emi Martinez’s net.
And legendary former Manchester United midfielder Keane produced a rare piece of praise for the duo.
He said: “Absolutely outstanding, the two of them dominated that midfield.
“They looked strong, they looked aggressive. Their passing was short, decision making was excellent.
“They looked strong, physical. Outstanding.”
Looking at Fernandez and Caicedo’s stats, it becomes clear as to why Keane was singing their praises.
Both men’s heat maps make for impressive reading, with the duo clearly unafraid to huff and puff their way around the pitch.
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They have equally fine passing maps too, with Caicedo’s deep presence helping Chelsea build from the back and Fernandez being more influential in the final third.
Caicedo certainly put in the ground work as he formed a triangle with centre-backs Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile.
The Ecuador star made three tackles and recovered the ball twice while also drawing four fouls from frustrated opponents.
But Caicedo also showed off his technical side, making 58 passes and touching the ball 76 times while even having two shots on goal.
As for Fernandez, he enjoyed more freedom going forward despite also doing the dirty work.
He won the ball back four times while getting involved with two tackles.
Fernandez got on the ball 62 times and fired off 47 passes.
And one of his two shots did register as a goal, with Fernandez ripping off his shirt in delight as he celebrated with jubilant Chelsea fans.
Supporters were also full of praise for the duo on social media.
One said: “Finally Caicedo and Enzo PR. I used to pray for times like this.”
Another declared: “Outstanding performance from Caicedo and Enzo today.”
One noted: “They dropped a masterclass. More to come.”
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