Chelsea remained six points off league leaders Arsenal but were the far-more impressive side in their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues continued to take the game to Mikel Arteta’s side despite going down to 10 men following Moises Caicedo’s red card.
Trevoh Chalobah had given Chelsea the lead early in the second half, and even though they were pegged back they still threatened to pull out an unlikely result against the league leaders.
The Chelsea Chronicle readers were nearly universal in handing the Man of the Match award to Reece James, in a poll that you can still vote in below!
Who was your Man of the Match vs Arsenal?
Thiago Silva and Willian praise Reece James after Chelsea vs Arsenal
Theo Walcott praised James for his ability to play in multiple positions, after Enzo Maresca had previously been criticised for using him as a midfielder.
Some Chelsea legends also gave their take on the captain’s performance. Both Thiago Silva and Willian were very impressed with what they saw from the England international, commenting on James’ Instagram post after the game.
The likes of Marc Cucurella and Jamie Gittens also praised him, whilst Alejandro Garnacho described James as ‘world-class’ in the comments.
There were plenty of comparisons before the game between Caicedo and Declan Rice, however it was James who provided the most impressive midfield performance on the day.
Chelsea defender Reece James readying a pass
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Reece James set to not start vs Leeds
It would be easy at this point for Maresca to get carried away with the club captain. He is now over a year on since suffering his last significant injury.
However, the boss should be praised for how he has protected the Englishman, and that trend is set to continue as the games come thick and fast.
Maresca confirmed James wouldn’t play 90 minutes against Leeds on Wednesday, opening up the chance for someone to make their case for a more regular midfield role.
With Romeo Lavia injured, Andrey Santos will get his big opportunity to make some regular starts for the club at last.