Troy Deeney was keen to praise Zian Flemming following his late equaliser for Burnley against Chelsea.
Troy Deeney has named Zian Flemming in his Team of the Week for BBC Sport following his performance in Burnley’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
The Dutchman headed home a 93rd-minute James Ward-Prowse corner as the Clarets snatched a point from Stamford Bridge, despite being behind since the fourth minute and having just 34% possession.
Flemming is now on six goals in the Premier League this season, and seven across all competitions, but Deeney was keen to praise more than just his goalscoring instincts.
Zian Flemming earns praise after decisive goal
Flemming was a battering ram against the Chelsea defence, contesting 12 duels and winning five of them, including four of his seven aerial duels, while he committed four fouls and did everything he could to get into opposition minds.
It was this side of his game that stood out for Deeney, who credited Flemming as partially responsible for getting Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana sent off in the 72nd minute; a moment that changed the game and allowed Burnley to finally sustain some telling pressure.
“Yes, he scored against Chelsea, but it was an old-school number nine performance. I have got a lot of time for this sort of display,” former Watford and Birmingham City striker Deeney wrote.
“He was horrible, he was beating people up, making little fouls, and was a real nuisance. He was doing it to the point where Chelsea were getting so frustrated, he was probably part of the reason why Wesley Fofana got sent off.
Troy Deeney’s EPL TotW: Dean Henderson; Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, Lewis Hall; Diego Gomez, Eberechi Eze, Anton Stach, Nico O’Reilly; Zian Flemming, Viktor Gyokeres, Raul Jimenez.
Manager: Mikel Arteta.
Flemming and Burnley teammates ‘behind’ Scott Parker
There has been a fair bit of speculation about Scott Parker’s job security after a solid start to life back in the Premier League descended into a desperate scrap for survival, and some fans have also been left unhappy.
However, the Clarets have now taken four points from their last two games, coming from behind on both occasions. It’s clear the players are still fighting for Parker, and that’s exactly the message Flemming sent out after the draw in West London.
“He is on the front line and us players are right behind him,” the striker - who is Burnley’s top goalscorer this season - said. “He will never give up and that is something he tells us and brings to us as people."
Burnley will hope to pick up another positive result when they host Brentford on Saturday.
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