Denis Zakaria limped following a knock before Graham Potter decided to replace him with Reuben Loftus-Cheek on Wednesday night.
Blues saw an impressive debut from Zakaria who has long been waiting for an opportunity to prove his ability in the center.
Playing a key-role in the team’s victory, Zakaria was rated 8/10 as he was so brilliant at both ends of the pitch, winning multiple tackles and as well a power-house in pushing attacks.
The midfielder’s performance and contributions can’t be swept under the carpet as Graham Potter commended him after the game during an interview as he also provided an injury update following the the player’s 70th minute substitution.
“Denis just got a kick, it was a contact, so he was fine, no problems with him,” said Potter.
“Before the game I told him to be himself and I thought he did that well. He showed his quality, won the ball back, helped with our attacking play. Obviously to score was fantastic, you saw the quality that he has.
“We see it in training as well, he can hit the ball. So I think it was a nice goal for him, a nice goal for the team. It was an important goal for us, so I’m happy for him that he contributed to the team performance and also to score. It’s nice.
“As you would imagine, he’s been frustrated and disappointed when he isn’t playing. That’s the life of a player, but he’s handled himself really well. He’s kept himself fit, trained really hard, supported the team, supported his team-mates in a really good way.
“When you do that you give yourself a chance to perform when you’re given an opportunity at this club. So credit to him and you could see everyone was so happy for him. It’s great for him, it’s a great story for the whole group I think.”