Ziyech describes how he turned things around at Chelsea after late heroics vs Palace

Chelsea midfielder Hakim Ziyech describes surreal moment to score a late winner against Crystal Palace

According to Chelsea’s official site, Hakim Ziyech revealed that despite all the difficulties, he enjoyed scoring the winner for Chelsea against Crystal Palace. 

Hakim Ziyech’s first season at Stamford Bridge wasn’t as glamorous as anticipated. Even though the Moroccan star struggled to pick up the pace, he has given some fantastic performances lately.

Yesterday, Ziyech scored Chelsea’s winning goal against Crystal Palace, adding to his tally of consecutive strikers for the last three League matches. While his performances helped his team win the crucial game, he revealed in the post-match conference how he turned things around for himself in West London. 

Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea, and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea interact.
Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea, and Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea interact. (Photo by Alastair Grant – Pool/Getty Images)

The Moroccan star suggested that apart from taking good care of his body, he is also enjoying his current spell at Chelsea.     

“Yeah. The last couple of months, I am in good shape, and I am enjoying playing football. I am trying to do my best, and that is the most important.”

The 28-year-old also suggested that getting a goal in last night’s match was tricky, making it even more rewarding for him to score a late winner. Palace were rigid throughout the game but despite a goal ruled out by VAR, Tuchel’s team kept knocking on the door of Patrick Vieira’s side.

“It was a difficult game instead of a good game. There was not a lot of chances; we only had a small couple of chances. Of course, there was the goal that wasn’t allowed, but it was the best feeling to score in the last minute.”

Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Star striker Romleu Lukaku had a poor showing again last night when he only touched the ball seven times in the entire match – a new record in the PL since Opta started tracking the stats some 18 and a half years ago.

However, the positive thing is that midfielders like Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Ziyech have started to step up whenever needed. The Moroccan international’s confidence suggests that he is ready to maintain consistency and have a significant influence in the second half of the season.

More Chelsea News

We have already been through a significant injury and Covid crisis in the past couple of months, and Ziyech’s form can help our manager to avoid the same in the next phase of the campaign. With him left out for AFCON by his national team and him retiring from international football subsequently, he would feel like he has another point to prove when donning our jersey.