Chelsea showed plenty of spirit in the second half of their Premier League game against Brentford, and Gianfranco Zola was quick to praise one individual at full-time.
The Blues performed very well in the latter stages of the game, and goals from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo looked as if they had rescued a dramatic win away from home.
However, Chelsea were punished for slack marking from an injury-time long throw-in, although The Chelsea Chronicle has been told Fabio Carvalho’s goal shouldn’t have stood.
It was a heartbreaking result in the end for the Blues, as well as some of their individual players who had dragged them back into a strong position in the game.
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Gianfranco Zola heaps praise on Moises Caicedo after Brentford 2-2 Chelsea
Zola praised Palmer for the quality of his goal, and the club legend was very impressed by one of his teammates too.
The Italian told Sky Sports that he has been impressed with how Caicedo has added the ability to score goals to his game in recent months.
He said: “Caicedo has grown up a lot. In the last year and a half, he’s got better at finishing. This is not the first important goal he has scored. Pure strike.”
The midfielder found the net in the big derby win against West Ham, as well as in the Conference League final against Real Betis to cap off a brilliant European campaign.
Brentford v Chelsea - Premier League
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Caicedo set for rare international rest
Caicedo had been back in London for just a couple of days after representing Ecuador during their final World Cup qualifiers.
He was rested in the opening game, and departed the second against Argentina early after being sent off in controversial circumstances.
The midfielder will now be banned for a game, meaning there is a chance he is not called up to the next international squad.
This would be a major boost for Chelsea, who have a South American core including Enzo Fernandez, Joao Pedro, Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos that travel a long way during these breaks.