"Excellent" – John Terry lavishes praise on 2 Chelsea stars after 1-1 Manchester City draw

Chelsea legend John Terry has heaped praise on Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto after his former team's 1-1 league draw at Manchester City on Saturday (February 17).

The Blues, who held City to a 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier this season, took the lead at the Etihad Stadium after Raheem Sterling's 42nd-minute opener. Rodri, however, levelled things for the champions in the 83rd minute of the contest with a left-footed strike.

After the end of Chelsea's recent Premier League clash, Terry lauded the Blues for their fine performance against Manchester City. He also hailed the visitors' French defensive pair, writing on X:

"Great performance. 👏🏻 We looked solid and posed a threat on the counter attack, Disasi and Gusto both excellent. @ChelseaFC ⚽️💙 👊🏻 Brilliant from everyone."

Disasi, who arrived from AS Monaco for around £39 million last summer, produced a standout performance against Pep Guardiola's outfit. The 25-year-old completed 26 of 32 passes, made a staggering 16 clearances and three blocks, and won four of six duels on Saturday.

Gusto, on the other hand, neutralized Jeremy Doku's threat on his side's right flank at the Etihad. The 20-year-old won three of eight tackles and nine of 14 duels, and also created two big chances against City.

Mauricio Pochettino opines on Chelsea's 1-1 draw against champions Manchester City

At a post-match press conference, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed that he was pleased with his team's outing against the Premier League champions. He said (h/t Independent):

"I think that is the spirit that we want to show. We are working for that. I think they are the best team in the world and to show this performance, I think we need to be proud. We were very brave. I think we were aggressive with the ball going forward and winning duels. In the second half, they dominated and they forced us to defend deeper."

Pochettino, who has won 17 of his 34 games as Blues boss, continued:

"I am so happy. It is a good draw for us. Manchester City have the quality and capacity to create chances and they have amazing players. It is fantastic for us and we need to grow."

Chelsea, who are 10th in the 2023-24 league table with 35 points from 25 outings, recorded just 30% possession during their visit to City. They registered nine shots, completed 249 passes with 81% accuracy, took just one corner, and accumulated three yellow cards.

The Blues are next scheduled to face Premier League leaders Liverpool in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday (February 25).