Mikel singles out two players for praise but slams Chelsea's second half display in win v Palmeiras

John Obi Mikel has lauded the performances of Malo Gusto and Estêvão Willian while offering sharp criticism of Chelsea's second-half display in their narrow 2-1 win over Palmeiras in the Fifa Club World Cup quarterfinal.

Speaking during his post-match analysis on DAZN, Mikel praised Estêvão, the 18-year-old Brazilian sensation, who impressed with his flair and confidence.

"He is a really good player. Fantastic player with a great left foot," Mikel remarked.

“He likes to wipe in the crosses early and he can dribble past players. He looks sharp and hungry like he wanted to prove something and he did that today.”

Estêvão was instrumental for Palmeiras, netting the equalizer in the 53rd minute to cancel out Cole Palmer’s first-half opener.

Despite Palmeiras' fightback, Chelsea retook the lead after an own goal by Agustín Giay, sealing their passage to the semifinals.

Mikel also took the opportunity to applaud Malo Gusto, who delivered a standout performance after facing recent criticism from fans and pundits.

"He was really good. He was everywhere. He sometimes drifts into midfield. 

"But this man (Gusto), he had a really good game. Sometimes we question his performances but today he was absolutely fantastic."

However, the former Chelsea star didn’t hold back when analyzing the Blues' shaky second-half showing, particularly highlighting goalkeeper Robert Sánchez’s role in Palmeiras’ goal.

"The goalkeeper won't want to see that again (the goal). We have some awful goalkeeping today. The Palmeiras goal as well, Sanchez should have done a lot better."

Mikel admitted Chelsea were fortunate to come away with the win, calling their second-half performance ‘worrying.’

"Yes it was very worrying. We started very sloppy. We didn't start the second half really well.

"Palmerias, in the first were very poor, but they did come out in the second half. They became more aggressive and started winning everything, and we sort of played into their hands.

“They got the goal, which they started to dominate the game. And of course, we were so lucky with that goal to put us 2-1 up.”

Chelsea will now face Brazilian side Fluminense FC in the semifinals as they look to capture their second FIFA Club World Cup title.

Adeyemi Adewale

Photo Credit: chelseafc.com 

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