Danny Murphy labels Chelsea summer signing their 'best player, bar none' after win over Sheffield United

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has lavished praise on Chelsea forward Cole Palmer after his brilliant performance in his side's win over Sheffield United on Saturday, 16 December. The pundit believes the England international is currently the club's best player.

Palmer played an instrumental role in the Blues' 2-0 victory over Chris Wilder's men at Stamford Bridge. He found the back of the net in the 54th minute and assisted Nicolas Jackson's strike seven minutes later. Palmer created two chances in the contest, accumulating 1.26 expected assists (xA), took eight touches in the opposition box, and played two accurate long balls.

The Chelsea forward's performance earned great plaudits from Murphy, who said on Match of the Day (as quoted by Metro):

"You know what it is… it’s his total belief in himself when he’s on the ball, ‘I’ll make it happen, I’ll impact the game, I’ll be the one who dictates for us when we attack and when we slow it down'."

"This belief he has in himself, I know he’s worked with Pep [Guardiola], obviously he’s got this wonderful talent but it’s about end product, he keeps producing in the final third."

The ex-Liverpool man added:

"Do you know what? I’ll go as far as to say it, he’s their best player now, bar none. Their best player, their best talent and their most productive."

Chelsea signed Palmer from Manchester City in the summer for a reported £42.5 million fee. The English attacker has been in excellent form for Pochettino's side this season. He has scored six goals and provided five assists in 17 appearances in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.

"Brilliant little tweak" - Murphy lauds Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino for his 'game management' in Sheffield United win

Murphy hailed Pochettino for his management during the Sheffield win, praising his use of Palmer in the clash. The former Manchester City attacker started the match in the No.10 role.

However, after going goalless in the first half, the Chelsea boss made a slight tactical change, allowing Palmer more freedom on the pitch. The decision clearly worked as he went on to grab a goal and an assist.

Speaking about Pochettino's strategy, Murphy said:

“Brilliant little tweak, game management, game intelligence, whatever you want to call it."

"They [Sheffield] condensed the middle of the pitch, obviously, when you know his [Palmer's] talent is there and they made it really difficult to get the ball into him in dangerous areas. "

"Of course, Poch being a good manager, he sees they’re not getting the ball into him enough, he’s not influencing the game as much as he can. Jackson and Sterling go high up the pitch and that creates a space [for Palmer], when you’ve got two ahead of you rather than one it’s easier."

Murphy added:

"The more the game went on and it got stretched the more confident he became. Every good move and every goal Chelsea had he was involved in."

Chelsea have moved up two places to 10th in the Premier League table after their win over Sheffield. The Blues are 12 points adrift of the top four. They will next face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday (19 December).