In a midfield battle between Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, it was actually Reece James who won.
Caicedo was sent off during Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal, while Rice could not really get a foothold on the game.
James absolutely dominated the London derby, on the other hand, despite his side going down to 10 men.
Reece James was on the scoresheet the last time Chelsea beat Arsenal. Who scored the other goal?
Reece James scores for Chelsea vs Arsenal
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Watching his performance against the Gunners, former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy noticed something very interesting about James.
Chelsea defender Reece James competing for the ball
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Jason Cundy claims Reece James is starting to trust his body again
James has had a lot of injury problems at Chelsea, but the defender has overcome them and appears to be back to his best.
Cundy thinks James is now starting to trust his body again, hence his dominant performance against Arsenal and other similar displays this season.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Cundy said: “I think there also might be a little bit of him now trusting his body because when you have injuries — and I’ve had plenty throughout my career — it takes time just to trust your body again.
“I think we’re now looking at Reece… mentally, he is completely free of any fear of the body collapsing.”
Chelsea fans would have loved the 25-year-old’s showing, but they may not get to see another performance like that at Elland Road on Wednesday night.
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Enzo Maresca has already hinted that he could rest James for the Leeds United game, with the Chelsea head coach keen for his captain not to pick up a new injury.
Reece James of Chelsea is challenged by Martin Zubimendi of Arsenal
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Reece James’ physicality could contribute to him remaining in midfield
Even from a young age, James has always been a very physically strong footballer. It is just one reason why Maresca could keep him in midfield.
Last month, Maresca also used James in the middle against Tottenham Hotspur, explaining that he put him there to give Chelsea more physicality.
With the way that the 25-year-old is using his body again, he is giving the Club World Cup winners just that.
James shields the ball so well before spraying an excellent pass. Simply put, he has both the strength and passing ability needed to succeed in the engine room.
As long as Malo Gusto keeps performing in the right-back position, James could end up staying in midfield.
The most important thing, though, is that the England international plays. He is one of Chelsea’s best players.