Liam Rosenior singles out Chelsea 'leader' for incredible work rate in Pafos win | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior was full of praise for midfielder Enzo Fernandez, whom he described as a "leader", after a strong performance in their win over Pafos on Wednesday.

The Blues secured a 1-0 win over Cypriot side Pafos in the Champions League, thanks to Moises Caicedo's header in the 78th minute of the game.

However, Chelsea were very close to taking the lead much earlier in the game as Fernandez headed the ball into the net in the 17th minute from a Pedro Neto cross.

Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed since the Argentina international was judged to have pushed Pafos defender Derrick Luckassen in the build-up.

In his post-match press conference, Rosenior described the decision as "harsh" and believes the goal would have stood if it had been in the Premier League.

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Regardless, he was impressed by how Fernandez responded to the unfortunate incident, especially his work rate in midfield.

"When we lost the ball, I felt our counter press, our energy to go in," Rosenior told Chelsea's in-house media team when asked about the character shown by his team.

"Enzo was running from midfield to chase the goalkeeper - there were many good signs."

Speaking more about Fernandez, Rosenior added: "Top. Enzo played 90 minutes today.

"I had to take him off on Saturday because he played with a virus. That sums up his mentality.

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"The man is a leader. He can play many different positions. He wants the ball. The lads absolutely adore him.

"For my first 10 days, I think I've got to understand him very, very well."

As Rosenior pointed out, it is incredible how Fernandez played almost two full games in less than a week despite suffering from symptoms of illness.

Fernandez played in a more advanced number 10 role against Pafos, with Cole Palmer being left out of the squad due to a fitness issue, and managed to create three chances during the game.

Palmer is arguably the more creative player out of the two, but Fernandez is still capable of making decisive passes and provides more defensive output than the former in this position.