Chelsea supporters have spotted what Antonio Rudiger did in their comfortable victory over Malmo in the Champions League.
The Blues produced an assured display at Stamford Bridge and came out as 4-0 winners against the Swedish outfit, thanks to goals from Andreas Christensen, Jorginho (x2) and Kai Havertz. The hosts' defence, that included Rudiger after the German centre-back recovered from a slight back injury that kept him out of the weekend's win against Brentford, were largely untested throughout the victory against Malmo.
However, there was one moment when the former Roma defender got involved at the other end of the pitch as he won Chelsea's second penalty of the game. Malmo full-back Eric Larsson shoved Rudiger, who ensured his body was in the way of the ball, to the ground, and the home side were awarded a penalty, with Jorginho then converting the kick from 12 yards. As the centre-back got up to his feet, he could be seen with his tongue out of his mouth and smiling - something Chelsea supporters seemed to love.
Rudiger only has around eight months remaining on his existing contract at Stamford Bridge, with the majority of the club's supporters desperate not to lose the Germany international next summer, where he could leave on a free transfer. The 28-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich, with the German club's boss Julian Nagelsmann recently responding to a question about Rudiger and whether or not the Bundesliga champions are interested in signing him.
"I haven't spoken to Brazzo (Hasan Salihamidzic - Bayern Munich sporting director) about it and if I did, I wouldn't tell you either," Nagelsmann said last month about the Chelsea and Germany defender. "I just read that in the media as well. I'll have to see when the contract expires and then I'll see if I still have money in my wallet." Rudiger, though, despite reports claiming he had entered talks with Bayern over a move to the Allianz Arena, denied the speculation and said he has not had dialogue with any other club over a transfer.
Romelu Lukaku was forced off through injury after winning Chelsea's first penalty in the 21st minute. Chelsea lost another forward when Timo Werner was also forced off in the first half. Chelsea's options up front were already stretched. Tuchel may have some tough decisions to make should Lukaku and Werner be ruled out of their Premier League clash against Norwich on the weekend.
Last night was also notable for something much more rare, something that in fact had never happened before. Andreas Christensen finally scored a senior competitive Chelsea goal! At long last! It took him 137 games, slow even for a defender, and amazing given he’s up at every corner, and has great technical quality.